A Beautiful Disaster
by SamanthaMae
Summary: Sylvia Reynolds has a problem: people just don't pay enough attention to her. After her father's death, she's left heart broken with no one to turn to. When she meets Dallas Winston, things begin to change... But are they changing for the better?
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Outsiders, and the song "About a Girl" belongs to Nirvana.

A/N: Sylvia's often portrayed as the two-timing bitch who cheated on Dallas and has no feelings. I'm writing this to show that it's possible that some girls have two sides of them. Rather than writing this story about her cheating on Dallas, I plan on writing _why_ she cheated on Dallas.

I can't remember the last time I started a long fic. It's pretty exciting for me--I'm anxious to see what people think. I know this chapter's kind of boring, but aren't all first chapters? Any kinds of reviews are accepted, especially suggestions for ways I can improve my writing. Enjoy!

_**Chapter One: About A Girl**_

_-- I need an easy friends, and I do_ _with an ear to lend … --_

Sylvia sighed.

Tim shook his head.

"Well, I can't be with you _all_ the time."

"I know."

She knew he was looking at her, but she continued to stare out the window.

"It ain't like you're my _girlfriend_, you know?" he added

Sylvia did know. God, and he had to bring that up, like it was necessary at all. If she was a girl he was sleeping with, didn't that give her a right to spend time with him? Didn't that make it relevant for her to know when he was rumbling with different gangs?

His hands were gripping the steering wheel. He seemed to look angry, but he didn't have a damned reason to be.

"All I said was that I wanna spend more time with you," she repeated. Tim had a knack of taking things a few steps too far.

"Sylvia, I told you a million times, I got my own life. I got my gang I'm takin' care of, I got a teenage sister no one else is botherin' to look after, an' I got you hangin' off me. Give me some space. That's all _I_ said."

She shook her head. Tim wasn't normally like this. Hell, sometimes he was even a little sweet. But just because they weren't officially dating, did that mean he was only willing to see her once a week?

"Okay, fine."

He pulled his truck into her driveway. "Look, I'll call you, all right?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

Tim was at least decent enough to phone her every few days.

She stepped out of the truck and walked up her driveway. She was miserable enough to actually stay home for a few days. Besides, when was the last time she actually slept in her own room?

"Hi, honey," her mother, Beth, said excitedly when Sylvia walked into the door.

"Hi."

"How've you been?"

Judy, Sylvia's younger sister, was smirking on the couch in the living room. "She's been pretty good with a certain Shepard, I been hearin'."

Sylvia gave Judy a sharp look. That Angela Shepard sure had a mouth on her.

"So Mom, how many beers would it take to get someone my age drunk?" eleven-year-old James asked Beth, sitting on the kitchen countertop beside their mother. Sylvia rolled her eyes at him. He was always trying to find ways to make her angry.

"James, leave Mom alone," Sylvia tried.

"Think I should find out?" he pressed on, growing a smile as their mother rolled her eyes.

Beth clenched her jaw. "James, don't start with me." She turned to Sylvia as James shrugged and hopped off the counter. "What are you up to tonight, sweetheart?"

"I guess I'm staying home."

"You're going to your father's tomorrow, right?"

Sylvia nodded.

"James, don't touch my hair!" Judy yelled and hit him with her magazine.

"Hey! That hurt!"

"Well, don't bother me!"

Their mother dropped her dishcloth and hurried over to the two, shouting and rolling her eyes. Sylvia felt something turn in her stomach. She was never like that with Judy or James; they were different. They may have been her family, but they had the sibling connection the blond never had.

They finally broke up the argument. In a few minutes, everything was back to normal.

"Hey, when's Dad coming home?" Judy asked, still sitting on the couch and flipping through the magazine, fiddling her finger through her light-brown hair.

Their mother shrugged and stirred the bowl of cake-mix. "Probably not for another hour."

James frowned and smoothed his dark hair with a comb. "Dad's always late coming home from work. How come?"

Sylvia felt the happiness inside her disappear. She _hated_ it when the three talked about Bill. Couldn't they realize it made her upset? He wasn't _her_ father, after all. There was a part of her inside that felt alone when she thought about it. It was like she was being left out.

She sighed and glanced at the calendar. Only one more night until she would eat supper with her real father like every Wednesday night.

--

Jonathan Reynolds ate more than anyone Sylvia had ever met in her life. He would finish his first plate, go on to the second, have desert, and _still_ be hungry. It amazed her that he could stay in decent shape. Then again, most firefighters had to work out a lot or something. It would probably explain why he had so many girlfriends in his life.

But Sylvia loved her father more than anything. She didn't _really_ care that her parents weren't together--they divorced when she was only two years of age--so there was nothing wrong with him dating other women.

She'd probably heard the tale of he and her mother's history a thousand times; they met, were married when she was nineteen, had Sylvia, divorced, and stayed okay friends. It wasn't like they were fighting every time they spoke. Sylvia had to respect that Jon was still staying in touch with her. Most of her friends' fathers or mothers left them in a ditch.

"How's school?" he asked her.

She swallowed her rice. "Good. How's work?"

"Good, good. Still dating that Tim boy?"

She smiled. They had a close enough relationship that he knew who Tim was, but obviously she wasn't dumb enough to bring him over. For all Jon knew he was a smart boy who was still in school and was very polite.

But she couldn't figure out why she was so close with him. Maybe it was because there were no other siblings to compete with, no one to steal the spotlight from her. She was glad he never got married again.

"Uh-huh," she replied, though they weren't really dating.

When she finished her plate, she took a blond curl and pulled it down, then watched it bounce back up.

"How's your mother doing? And Bill?"

Jon never liked Bill. Whether it was because Bill and Sylvia didn't really get along or because Jon was still in love with her mother, she didn't know. She thought maybe the fact that Bill was a recovering alcoholic had a strong role in his opinion.

They sat at the small table with silence. Finally, he said, "Do you want to do something on Friday night? Maybe we can go out to eat and then I can take you shopping…"

She bit back a huge grin. "Really? Can't find a date?"

He laughed. "Well, we haven't spent much time together in a while. I just thought it would be nice. So do you want to?"

"Dad, you know I do."

He smiled. "I thought you would."

--

"…so that would bring us to the answer _X equals two_." Mrs. Keller finished the equation with her chalk by drawing a box around the number two. "Any questions?"

Sylvia tapped her pencil on her paper and sighed. Tim hadn't called her since they went out on Tuesday. Did he find some humour in watching her suffer or something? Because she kind of wanted to talk to him.

"And Don told _me_ he thought it was a bad idea," Jill whispered to Sylvia, laughing. "So I told him he could do whatever the hell he wanted with Lois if I could do whatever the hell I wanted with Frankie."

"What'd he say?" she asked, though she wasn't very interested.

"Oh, then he just shut up."

The bell rang. Sylvia gathered her books and stood up. Jill flipped her red hair over her shoulder and continued telling the blond about her argument with her boyfriend.

While in the hallway, they met up with Linda Green, who had another "interesting" story about _her_ boyfriend.

Sylvia sighed when she reached her locker. It was like the entire world was obsessed with dating; it made her feel weird. Even Judy was starting to get boyfriends, some that Sylvia wasn't too happy with.

She shoved her books in her locker and wondered if Tim was thinking about her.

"David Glover is having a party tomorrow night," Jill announced. "He invited Craig, so I think that means all of you guys can come, too."

The blond was about to agree to go, but tossed her head back. "Shit. I have plans."

"Lemme guess--Tim Shepard?" Linda asked.

"Nope," Sylvia replied, shutting her locker. _Someone better_.

The three girls began making their way down the hall, discussing who was recently going with who and which girls were backstabbing which girls when they stepped out into the cold. The blond felt her legs shivering and wished she'd brought a jacket. Weather in February wasn't too warm

Jill raced over to one of the buses. "I'll catch y'all later."

Linda waved. She then turned to Sylvia. "I hear she's got something going with Frankie."

"Frankie's a pansy. He just--"

The brunette turned around sharply. "Don't stare, but that's _Dallas Winston_ over there."

Sylvia looked over. She'd heard the name a few times before--he was good friends with Tim, he had told her--but she'd never actually caught a good look at him. He was standing in the parking lot, lighting a cigarette, with a brown leather jacket and ripped up jeans. Supposedly he was the town's biggest hood. Shit, he even had the blondest hair she'd ever seen.

"He dropped outta school a long time ago," Linda added. "I wonder what he's doin'."

"Don't be scared by him. He don't even grease his hair. Never mind Frankie--_he_ looks like a damned pansy."


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Outsiders or the lyrics to "Empty Garden", which the talented Elton John wrote.

A/N: Posted for Good Fic Day ) ...enjoy!

_**Chapter Two: Empty Garden**_

_--And we are so amazed we__'__re crippled and we__'__re dazed; a gardener like that one no one can replace ... --_

Sylvia closed the front door and sighed with relief. Spending too much time with Linda was too much to handle.

Judy turned her head to face her. "Sylvia?" She stood up. "Mom--uh … Mom's been looking for you for hours."

"Why?"

"Dad!" the younger girl called and rushed down the hall

Sylvia followed her. "What? What's going on?"

Bill came out of the room with a frown. "Sylvia … sit on the couch. There's been an accident."

She shook her head. Something was wrong. It wasn't often when Judy had such a worried expression, or when Bill had such a stern face. She was starting to get angry while he his hands on her shoulders and guided her to the beat up couch.

"Tell me what's happening," she demanded in a low voice, her breathing becoming difficult.

"Your father was in an accident."

_Jon was in an accident. Jon was in an accident. Jon was in an accident._

Sylvia closed her eyes. "What happened?"

"He was working today, there was a fire…on the south side, and he couldn't make it out."

She shot her eyes opened and tried to stand up. "Which hospital is he in?"

"No, Sylvia. You shouldn't visit him. He--"

Just then, Beth walked through her door. Sylvia glanced at her and noticed her dark hair was messy, her eyes were red, and she was out of breath. As soon as she made eye contact with Sylvia she burst into tears and walked over to her.

"Mom, what's going on?"

She shook her head and sat beside Sylvia, placing a hand on her knee. "Your father was in an--"

"Is he okay?" she finally asked, feeling her eyes burn.

Beth calmed herself down before replying, "No…honey, there's nothing they can do."

The four were silent. Judy was rubbing her shoulders, Bill and kneeled down in front of her, and Beth had her head on Sylvia's shoulder. Sylvia felt dizzy. There was a lump in her throat she just couldn't swallow. Her mother's words echoed through her mind like a curse. She shook her head.

"Are you guys mad at him or something?"

They all looked at her with confused faces.

"It's…it's impossible. I was just with him last night."

"Syl, I'm sorry," Judy said quietly.

"Well, you're lying to me," Sylvia snapped. "Why are you lying to me?"

Beth cried harder on her shoulder.

She stood up. "Why are you lying to me?!"

Judy raced over and hugged her. Sylvia wanted to push her away, but she couldn't. She stood still, feeling tears fall down her face slowly. She tried to blink them away and wrapped her arms around her half-sister.

"Tell me you're lying to me," she whispered to Judy.

But they weren't. Sylvia had a feeling they weren't, yet every time she told herself it wasn't true, she became a little surer her father would still pick her up the next night and take her out.

--

Tim went to the funeral with her.

She watched in tears and squeezed his hand. She was glad he came--he said he'd be there whenever she needed him--but watching her father being buried was absolutely heartbreaking. There was something that didn't seem real to her. Maybe she was in denial. That's what her mother was saying.

"I'm sorry," Tim whispered to her.

She inhaled sharply and nodded and watched her mother. "I know."

The man speaking asked for a moment of silence. The only thing Sylvia could hear was her own sobbing.

"You wanna come to my place?"

Sylvia stared at the headstone, titled,

"_Jonathan A. Reynolds_

_December 1928 - February 1965_

_Beloved Father and Hero"._

"Okay," she replied softly, not taking her eyes off it. A few feet away from her was Beverly, a woman Jon was dating. She was shaking her head and touching the headstone, and then she broke down in a sob.

Sylvia knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if she stayed.

Tim put his arm around her shoulder and guided the way to his truck. She glanced behind her shoulder at the rest of them--the people she envied. They didn't know what she was experiencing.

"I feel weird," she said aloud.

"Huh?"

"I feel like this isn't happening."

Tim lit a cigarette, and then started the truck. "What're you talking about?"

"I had a dream last night that he wasn't really gone," she started, staring out her window. She didn't want to see Tim's reaction. "You know Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet takes that drink that makes her _seem_ dead?"

He put his hand on her knee. "No. I never studied that shit in school."

"Well…I had a dream that he took it, and he was still alive. When I woke up, I felt like it was all a setup to make me upset."

Tim didn't reply. She couldn't tell if he felt awkward of not.

"Well, you can stay at my place tonight," he finally said. "You don't gotta go to school this week, do you?"

She sighed. The thought of school hadn't occurred to her in days.

"No. I guess I don't."

He nodded and switched the truck's gears. Sylvia bit her lip; she wanted his hand on her knee for the rest of her life. Tim was all she had left. Tim was the only one who was sitting beside her, telling her everything would be all right. He didn't know what she was going through, but he was damn good at acting like he did.

She shook her head. "I'm so mad."

"There ain't reasons for you to be _mad_."

"He _died_ while doing his fucking job."

They pulled into his driveway and he took her face in his hands. "Don't say that, Sylvia. Your dad was a fireman, and he must've loved what he did."

"But--"

"I'm here for you," he told her, and kissed her.

Sylvia felt her tears come stronger. She kissed him back, wondering how long she had been with him. Since she was thirteen? Twelve?

And she'd never been his girlfriend. Often she wondered why.

Their mothers went to a club together, so Sylvia had known Tim since she was eight or nine. Tim taught her everything--how to kiss, how to attract men, and how to be independent. Hell, the first boy she'd ever slept with was Tim Shepard!

She stepped into the house in silence. Angela and Curly were sitting on the couch, and for once, Angela had nothing to say to her.

--

It was one of those nights when Judy was pretending to watch the television. Sylvia, sitting on the couch beside her, knew much better. Judy was never one to enjoy Alfred Hitchcock films (nor Sylvia, despite how many times Tim had dragged her into them), so Judy actually watching his television show was unlikely.

Sylvia sighed and pulled her feet onto the couch. "What's wrong?"

Judy faced her with a nervous expression. "Nothing. Why?"

"You're acting weird."

"I just … don't know how to act in front of you."

The blond laughed. "Judy, I'm your sister. You can act how ever the way you want to."

"I guess since Jonathan … " her voice trailed off.

"I'm fine. Sometimes I'm mixed up, but if I were on the edge to tears right now I'd be in my room. Seriously, Jude, I'm holding on better than you'd think."

It was true. The past two weeks had gone by smoothly; Sylvia had no breakdowns, her friends were acting normal around her, and Jamesand Judy hadn't been annoying her. Tim could have been paying more attention to her, but that just showed things were starting to get back to normal.

Judy smiled. "I don't know how, but I guess you are."

Beth walked through the door with two brown bags of groceries. "Who's hungry?"

"What's for supper?" Judy asked.

Sylvia brought her attention to the television set and smiled.

"Oh, Sylvia," Beth said, starting down the hallway. "Come here for a minute."

Judy shrugged when Sylvia looked at her. The blond stood up and followed her mother up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Beth was going through her drawers, biting her lip and sighing with frustration.

Finally, she pulled out something metal.

"Your father gave this to me before I had you."

Sylvia accepted, what appeared to be, a locket. She opened it up and stared at the picture of Jon, not looking much older than eighteen or nineteen. Sylvia took a deep breath while fighting back tears. He look so handsome with his dark hair and blue eyes.

Thirty-six was not an age to die.

She sat on her mother's bed and continued to stare at it. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was talk to Tim. He would make her feel better. He would know what to say.

"I want you to have it," Beth said.

Sylvia looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. He'd want you to have it."

The blond pressed her lips together. Jon died doing what he loved to do. He was a fireman, committed to his job and…

Without another thought, Sylvia burst out in tears and her mother immediately took action, sitting beside her and comforting her. Even though she was crying in her mother's arms, she still felt lonely. Beth would always think of her as the daughter she had with Jon. Not the daughter she had with Bill.

And it make Sylvia want to cry even more.


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer**: Do not own the characters, and I do not own the lyrics "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

_**Chapter Three: Wonderwall**_

--_I don__'t believe anybody feels the way I do, about you now_--

"So, you been to _jail_?"

"Too many times to count," Tim replied, shrugging as if it was nothing.

James' face completely dropped. "Wow, that's so cool! What did you go in for?"

Tim looked around to think. Sylvia shook her head in disgust and hoped to hell and back that James didn't actually think going to jail was "cool". The boy would probably be sent to prison soon if he kept this up.

"Once for mouthin' off at a cop, once for my switchblade bein' in my pocket while being searched, once for some gang shit, and--"

"Tim, don't give my brother any ideas," she said, although knowing he had gone in for much worse things.

He smiled that crooked smile. She felt her stomach's butterflies starting.

James played with his comb. "You know, Mom's convinced I'll never be picked up by the cops. She thinks I'm a good boy, an' that I won't ever get into the gang stuff." He snorted. "My mom's kinda dumb."

"James," Sylvia said, "don't call Mom _dumb_."

He shrugged.

She snuggled closer to Tim. "What are you doing Friday?"

"Probably something with the boys."

"Huh. What about Saturday night?" She traced her finger slowly across his chest, hoping somehow she could convince him to do _something_ with her.

He shook his head. "Saturday? I told Curly I'd take him out. Dunno when I'll be done."

"Well, why don't--"

"Shit. I got plans with David."

"You need an organizer or something," Sylvia half-joked, placing her ear on his chest to hear his heart beating. "Jesus, what do I gotta do to spend some time with you? When're you free?"

"I dunno."

She rolled her eyes.

"Tim," James asked, "are you stayin' for supper?"

Tim stretched and yawned. "Nah. Wish I could, buddy. Curly said somethin' about--"

"Stay," Sylvia complained, grabbing his arm.

He stood up from the couch. "I'll call ya later, all right?"

--

"Sylvia, settle down!"

Linda was laughing carelessly as Sylvia took the bottle of beer firmly to her lips. She hadn't drank too much in her life--twice, maybe--and this time around, it was great to be gone from the real world.

Linda was never much of a drinker, either, but Sylvia knew she was having some family problems.

It was good to escape sometimes.

"Oh my God, you look crazy."

Sylvia laughed. "Well, _you _look like you could use another drink."

"I'm kinda mad at my parents right now," Linda said after a few moments of silence, then stood up and walked around. "They told me they don't want me seeing Joseph, because he wants all the wrong things from me. After maybe the hundredth time they told me that, I told them he already slept with me, so they must be wrong."

The blond smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah. They think they can control my life or something. It's annoying."

Sylvia played with the locket around her neck. "I know what you mean." _At least you _have _a dad._

"I wonder what they'd say if they found out I'm drinking."

"They'd probably tell you not to do it."

The two of them laughed. Sylvia was lying on a couch, holding her locket with her right hand and a bottle of beer with her left. Linda ended her laughter and frowned. She must have been having some big problems, because the more she talked about it, the more emotional she became.

"I think my parents are sick of each other, 'cause all they do is fight."

At that point, Sylvia realized Linda must have been talking to herself.

"They're really…I don't know."

The door opened. The blond wasn't _completely_ alarmed when Linda's parents walked into the living room, a shocked look on their faces. Linda put on the same expression, and then hid the bottle of liquor behind her.

"Mom, Dad! I thought you were coming home tomorrow!"

"What are you doing, young lady?" Mrs. Green shouted, putting her hands on her hips.

"I was just--"

Mrs Green snapped, "You are sixteen years old, Linda Susan Green! What is a girl like you doing drinking in _my_ house?"

"Sylvia, I think we should call your parents," Mr. Green suggested with a lighter tone.

The blond nodded and followed him into the kitchen, looking back with guilt at Linda, who had tears in her eyes as she looked up at her mother.

After a short telephone conversation, Beth drove over in a hurry to drive Sylvia home, and she seemed calm while driving.

"I understand you're upset about your father," she was saying, glancing at her daughter with a concerned look on her face. "But alcohol doesn't solve anything."

They pulled into their driveway. Through the drive, Sylvia felt a sick feeling in her stomach.

Bill had such an angry face when the two entered the house, it was almost scary.

"Sylvia, what the hell were you doing?"

She shrugged. "I just--"

"You were drinking. Why?"

"I don't know. 'Cause no one was there and the cabinet was filled with bottles."

He shook his head. "Drinkin' gets you no where in life, Sylvia. You might be going through a hard time right now, but drinking at your age could damn well turn you into an alcoholic, and you have no idea what that does to--"

"Why does it matter?" she asked, getting angry herself.

"Because it can--"

"No, I mean you ain't my father," she said. "Why should it matter to you?"

He crossed his arms. "Anything that matters to your mother matters to me."

"That's such bullshit."

"Sylvia!" Beth shouted. "Don't curse."

"Why does it matter?" she yelled, turning around to face her mother. "It doesn't. None of you know what it's like to lose a parent, and--"

"My father was killed in the war, and I went on," Bill said. "There's nothing you can do about situations like these, Sylvia, so picking up a bottle of beer won't do anything."

She shook her head. "You ain't my father, you can't tell me what to do!"

"Don't say that," Beth warned, but Sylvia ignored her.

"And, Bill, if you ask me, I think you can't say shit when it comes to drinking."

"I haven't drank in years, Sylvia."

"Well, you're--"

He shook his head. "Quit being so ungrateful! You're spoiled rotten, and Beth won't even discipline you the way she damn should!"

"Spoiled rotten?"

Beth put her hand on Sylvia's shoulder. "Sweetheart, I think you should stop."

"Who don't you tell _him_ to stop? He called me an ungrateful, spoiled rotten bitch!"

"I didn't say--" Bill started.

Sylvia groaned with frustration. No one understood what she was going through. Sometimes she would be completely fine, no worry in the world, but sometimes she would have small outbursts like these and they reminded her of her anger towards Jon's death.

It just wasn't fair.

She shook her head, feeling tears come, and walked up the stairs.

--

"I just can't believe they'd do that," Sylvia said, shaking her head. "I mean, does your stepfather get mad at you for drinking?"

"My step dad wouldn't care if I was dead in a ditch," Tim replied, digging through his fridge, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "You should be glad Bill's worried about you. You was just complaining last month that they don't pay enough attention to you."

She swung her legs. "Well…I guess…"

"Speakin' of parents, mine ain't home."

He walked over to her and kissed her neck. She giggled and playfully pushed him. "Tim, stop!" She laughed.

Angela ever-so-politely cleared her throat from the couch. Sylvia's smile faded quickly. She hopped off the countertop and looked at Tim.

"You wanna go to my room?" he asked, and she nodded.

He took her hand and led the way to down the hall. Angela was shaking her head at them, but Sylvia was used to her.

When they entered his room, she sat on the familiar bed and sighed. "You know what Bill said? He said I'm an ungrateful bitch."

"That's my everyday life," Tim said casually, sitting beside her and moving her hair away from her neck.

"It pisses me off."

"C'mon, I know what'd make you feel better," he said, kissing her neck again.

She giggled and lay on her back. Tim _always _knew what made her feel better. He was so bold when she was upset, and he was so dependable. Every time she wanted him, he was there. Beth wasn't that way at all. She had to deal with Judy and James. Bill obviously didn't worry about her, and Jon was unable to look after her. Tim ran a hand up her skirt and she smiled.

Tim knew how to take care of her.

--

Bill was sitting on the couch with his arm around Beth when Sylvia came into the house. Beth looked back at her and smiled, but the blond immediately went upstairs without a word to them.

She heard Beth sigh on her way.

"I don't know what to do with her," she said to Bill.

"You should just ignore her for a few days," he replied, as if he knew shit about her. "She might be a little emotional. C'mon, we should get to bed."

Sylvia hurried down the hall and went into her room. She heard footsteps and prepared for Beth to come into the room and comfort her. Sylvia held her locket.

But Beth didn't come in. Beth had gone straight into the master bedroom with Bill.

--

A/N: Looks like Sylvia's having trouble dealing with things now. Next chapter someone familiar is making a special appearance : )


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any familiar characters you see in this chapter. They belong to S.E. Hinton. I also don't own the song "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen.

A/N: I'm a little worried about the pace in this chapter. Let me know if it was messy or okay : )

_**Chapter Four: Another One Bites The Dust**_

_--How do you think I__m going to get along, without you when you__re gone? ... --_

Lois Cunningham shook her head. "Sylvia, I don't think that's how you do it."

Sylvia eyed her history textbook with confusion. "How else am I supposed to?"

"Well, you could … " Lois shrugged as her voice trailed off. "I actually have no idea. So, you need me to drop you off here? Tim Shepard's house?"

"Yeah," she replied, unfastening her seatbelt. "Thanks for the drive."

"Sure thing."

Sylvia jumped out of the car and smiled. Tim had _asked_ her to come over after school. She was so excited, she could have jumped with joy when the releasing bell rang. It wasn't often when _Tim_ made the plans.

She tried to call him days earlier, but Tim's brother had told her he was out with _Bonnie_.

Who the hell was _Bonnie_?

When she reached the door, she straightened her skirt, shook her curly hair, put on a smile, and rang the doorbell.

An unhappy Angela Shepard answered it, then crossed her arms.

"Yeah?"

Sylvia cleared her throat. "Is Tim here?"

The younger girl shook her head. "No, he ain't. You might wanna check the state jail, though."

Angela tried to shut the door, but Sylvia pushed it back opened. "What did you say?"

"The fucking cops picked him up this mornin'. He was doing some gang shit. I don't know--he wouldn't tell me. So he's gonna be gone for a while."

"But … yesterday, he told me that--"

"What difference does that make? I was with him this mornin', but it ain't like that changes anything."

Sylvia scratched the back of her neck. "I just kinda--"

"Yesterday he was here," she said slowly. "_Now_ he's gone."

And with that, Angela Shepard slammed the front door shut. Sylvia stared at the faded door that desperately needed a paintjob, along with the rest of the house. Was Angela lying? You could never tell with that girl, Sylvia had discovered. She slowly stepped off the porch and began her walk home.

Buck's place never changed. The cracks on the wall were never covered, the same boys were always playing pool, the same girls were there, and the bedrooms always had the same stale smell.

Maybe that was why Sylvia was sitting at the bar, slowly drinking her beer that Friday night. Within the three times she'd gone there, nothing had ever changed.

Well, Tim had gone to jail too many times to count before, Sylvia thought. He had gotten picked up for everything. So why was this time bothering her? Was it because she hadn't seen it coming? Because Tim was the only one who understood her?

A boy about her age, if not older, took the stool beside her and ordered a beer. Then he turned to her.

"You here all alone?"

She sighed. "I guess so."

"I reckon you ain't been here before."

"Well, only a few times."

He nodded and stroked his ridiculously long sideburns. "Then you don't know much about Buck's. Lookit over there to the left, right beside the door--River Kings. They're real rough, but most of the time they don't come here. Only the younger ones do. I'd suggest you stay away from 'em. Over there at the pool table is just some normal folks. And the Shepard gang normally hang out in the booths over to the right. I guess they ain't here 'cause them and River Kings just rumbled a few weeks ago."

So _that_ was where Tim's black eye came from.

"And upstairs is where people pass out from drinkin' too much or where they take their girls."

Sylvia shuddered. After that one time her and Tim went upstairs, she vowed to herself she would _never_ under any circumstances go up there again.

"I guess you come here a lot," she said.

He nodded and smiled.

Sylvia turned to the girls that were hanging around the River Kings. The blond was sitting cross legged, glaring at Sylvia.

She then stood up and walked over to them. "Two-Bit, what're you doing?"

"I'm talkin' with this young lady right here."

Sylvia examined the blond. She had a short skirt and a tight blouse, pink lipstick on, and her makeup was perfectly done, complimenting her brown eyes. Sylvia was definitely jealous of this girl, whoever she was.

She sighed. "Okay … I'm sorry."

"What's that, now?"

"I'm sorry. C'mon, let's go over to my place, Two-Bit."

Sylvia watched with a smile as he--Two-Bit, she guessed--raised his eyebrows. "All right." He turned to Sylvia. "I guess I'll be seeing you later."

The blond dragged Two-Bit out the door, but it didn't seem like he was complaining.

She took a few more sips of her beer and titled her head. Two-Bit … where had she heard the name Two-Bit? Did he go to her school? Had she talked to him before? It seemed like she would remember his name, but she simply shrugged and forgot about it.

"If you wanna know about your little boyfriend," a low voice said in her ear, "follow me."

Sylvia felt immediate shivers travel down her spine and she looked over to her left. Dallas Winston was walking away from her, into the room with the pool tables.

When she came into the room, he was setting up a game.

"Here.'' He handed her a pool stick. "You know how'ta play?"

She nodded, although she'd never held a pool stick before.

"Don't worry about Kathy. She's just possessive over her property."

Sylvia nodded. Kathy must have been the blond.

"So, here's the score: your idiot boyfriend was caught getting into it with some pansy on the street, and since the fuzz found a switchblade they both got in the cooler. There's some other shit he was doin', he wouldn't say nothin', so he's gonna be in there for a year. Nine months, maybe, if he's on good behaviour."

Nine months? Sylvia thought, and swallowed nervously. "N-nine months?"

"Yeah. He wanted me to tell all his girlfriends that." Dallas took the first shot and broke the triangle. A striped ball went into one of the pockets.

"When did he talk to you?"

"I was in the cooler when he went in. Just got today."

Sylvia smiled. "_You _were in?"

He shrugged. "That so hard to believe?"

"I guess you just look like a kid to me."

"I ain't no fuckin' kid," he snapped, starting to look angry. "I ain't too far away from your age, you know. If you'd ask anyone around here you'd know I'm twice the man Shepard ever was."

"It don't seem that way to me."

When his face turned a shade of red, Sylvia burst out laughing. "Relax! I'm kidding."

A few minutes later, he said, "You've got guts. I guess I see what Shepard sees in you. Don't know why he's datin' them other girls, though."

She bit her lip.

He shook his head. "You really like him, huh?"

"Um … I don't know, a little."

They both stood in silence. Dallas was twisting a beer cap off a bottle with his teeth, examining the pool table, and it made Sylvia smile. Linda was _afraid_ of this guy? He didn't seem scary at all.

"Well, you'll see him in nine months," he muttered.

"That's a long time."

"No kidding."

Sylvia titled her head at him. "How old are you, Dallas Winston?"

"I'm seventeen," he replied slyly, giving her a crooked smile before knocking his fourth striped ball into a cup. "Turnin' eighteen in November."

If she knew anything about Dallas Winston, it was that she was a year younger than Tim, and since her birthday was in January, nearly a year younger than her. That would make him sixteen turning seventeen.

It looked like this boy had a little mouth on him.

"I just turned eighteen," she shot back, returning his lie. "I'm a year older than you an' Tim."

He looked a little angry for a second, then he shrugged. "You want a trophy or somethin'?"

She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"You pretty good friends with Tim?" she asked.

He nodded. "We're buddies, I guess. We fight a lot, though, 'cause I'm better lookin' than him."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "For buddies, you seem kinda competitive."

"Well, everything's a competition."

She nodded and watched him travel from ball to ball. He seemed like a decent pool player, but she knew nothing about the game. What was interesting was he only went for the striped balls. Sylvia guessed the stripe balls went in first.

"Are you gonna take your turn or not?" he asked, chalking the end of his pool stick.

Sylvia looked at the table. Only one striped ball remained.

"Oh," she said, startled, and tried to angle herself properly. "So, you can really play this game." She hit the white ball with her stick as hard as she could.

It hit the last striped ball and knocked it into the pocket. She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "Yeah. I guess I can."

Before Sylvia could take another shot, Dallas took her turn and put the black ball in.

"You seem to play fair, too," she said.

"Well, honey, I try." He put his stick onto the table and stretched. "For the record, you put my ball in for me."

She blushed and nervously laughed. "Well, I--"

"Maybe I could teach you how to play sometime."

Sylvia nodded and felt butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah, maybe."

"Maybe sometime real soon."

He swallowed his last bit of beer, smiled, and left. She stared after him and wondered when "sometime real soon" would be.


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** I certainly do not own S.E. Hinton's marvellous novel, nor the song "Sex and Candy" preformed by Marcy Playground.

A/N: I apologize for the long update. I hope people will like this chapter. Please review and let me know how the pacing and such is going!

_**Chapter Five: Sex and Candy**_

-- _Who's that loungin' in my chair? Who's that castin' devious stares in my direction? Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream ..._ --

Judy was frowning, but Sylvia didn't care. Her mind was on a certain blond boy, who saw something a little bit different in the world.

He was _just_ like Tim. If Tim was easy to rely on, Dallas Winston must have been, too.

"Where're you going?"

"Out."

"Where?"

Sylvia examined a skirt and placed it next to her previously chosen top. "A party."

"Whose?"

"Judy, _please_," the blond snapped.

The frown settled on Judy's lips deepened. There was silence in the room, and it made Sylvia glad. She was getting tired of her family always being around her, always wanting to know why she was going, always asking her how she was doing…

Sylvia looked into the mirror. "Do you think my roots are showin'?"

"I don't know."

Something was bothering her, Sylvia decided, throwing her red shirt back into her disorganized closet. Judy had walked into the room earlier and sat on the bed wordlessly.

Did she want something?

"What are you doing tonight?" Sylvia asked her younger sister.

"I think I'm stayin' home."

The blond nodded, although her mind was deeply on something else.

"I'm gonna get dressed then go," she said, hinting to Judy to leave her room. "But I'll see you later, all right?"

She picked up a nice plaid skirt with a red top and watched Judy drag her feet to the hallway.

--

"...but when I went back, he wasn't there."

"Hmm," Jill replied thoughtfully, "Did you catch his name?"

Sylvia shook her head. "After I met him he just left."

Of course, the blond was lying through her teeth. She knew damn well it was Dallas Winston at Buck's the other week, but if Jill and Linda knew that, they would hit the roof of the car.

"What did he look like?" Linda asked.

"Uh..." Sylvia bit her lip. "Oh, well, he had...dark hair and dark eyes."

But Dallas Winston had blond hair and blue eyes. Cold blue eyes that were so piercing, you could see them from across a room.

"That's so weird," Linda said. "Well, would you date him?"

"Maybe."

"What about Tim?" Jill questioned.

Sylvia snorted. "What about him?"

"Don't you wanna wait for him?"

"Well, if he wants to go ahead and get himself thrown in and leave me hangin', why the hell would I sit around and wait for him? It's like rewarding him for leaving me."

"Do you think any boys would wanna date you if they know you're Tim's girlfriend?" Linda laughed, and Jill joined her.

The blond shrugged. "I don't think Tim would be upset."

"Boy, Don would kill me if I cheated on him," Jill said. "When I was hangin' around with Frankie, he just called me all the time and asked me everyday where I was goin' and who I was goin' with. I almost broke it off with him."

Sylvia and Linda gave each other a knowing look. No matter what Don would do, Jill would never dump him.

"When he was with Lois I was going to rip her hair out. Boy howdy, if she puts a finger on him again, I'll...I'll..." She sighed. "So, where do you guys wanna go?"

"Doesn't matter," Sylvia said.

Driving around was pretty fun. Sylvia liked hanging out with Jill and Linda – even though Jill would normally rant on and on about this and that, it was nice to get out of the house.

"Hey, would you two ever go to Buck's?" she asked.

Linda looked like she was thinking hard. "Maybe. What kinda girls normally go there?"

"Well, it's a greaser hang out an' all, so basically girls just like us. It's a great place to meet people. Jill, you can even bring Don."

Jill had a disgusted face. "I went there once. Goddamn gross."

"It ain't so bad," the blond argued. "Linda, you might like it. Tim used to take me there a few times, and whenever I went there alone, I made some friends."

Linda eyes were shifting. "I don' t know if I'd fit in. I mean, I'm not like most girls around here."

"It's easy to make friends," Jill said.

Sylvia would rather have Linda go than Jill – Linda was a little bit more tolerable, and she was _now_ single. Even though she was a little shy, she was a knocker and should have known it.

"Linda, you need to be more social," Jill was saying, interrupting Sylvia's thoughts. "Maybe sometime we can give you a huge makeover and go over to Buck's and see what Syl's talkin' about all the time."

"Yeah!" Sylvia agreed.

Linda shrugged. "I guess if y'all want to."

Jill smiled. Then she turned to Sylvia. "So, Syl, you gonna look for that boy again?"

"Yeah," she replied, staring out the window. "Probably sometime real soon."

--

It seemed like Buck's was busiest on Fridays. Sylvia's eyes were wandering in search for a boy with light blond hair and sharp blue eyes. Her search, so far, was unsuccessful. She wasn't quite sure why.

She sighed and pouted. Her half-an-hour she spent on applying makeup and struggling to get her fake eyelashes on were completely wasted.

She was in the pool table room, chalking her pool stick and pretending to play alone. While in there, she did, however, notice someone eyeing her a few times. After the first time they made eye contact, she turned around hurriedly and focused on her pool game. Her cheeks were getting warm and she cursed herself.

When she looked at him again, he was smiling.

"You waitin' on anyone?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I guess not."

He nodded. "Shepard's always been a no-show. You're his girl, ain't you?"

"I am," she replied. "But—"

"Whatta pansy. He didn't—"

"I ain't waiting for him. He's in jail right now."

The brown haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah." She turned back to the pool table and bit her lip. Dallas had started the game by using the triangle thing, and then he broke it, and…shot the stripe balls in. So how come when she shot them in, he told her it was a false hit? And then…

"So what're you doing?"

She looked up at him. "What does it look like I'm doin'?"

"You're waitin', that's what."

"I ain't waitin' for no one," she snapped, staring directly into his green eyes. "I'm just playing pool by myself. Is there a problem with that?"

He shrugged and smiled. She wondered with frustration if he had heard her over the loud music.

"You're a pretty good pool player," he told her sarcastically.

She turned around. "Yeah, I am."

He was suddenly beside her, arranging the pool table as if he expected they were going to play. "Here – you hold a stick like _this_."

He held it in front of him as she had seen Dallas do. "Then you shoot." He shot it forward and hit the white ball. "Get it?"

Sylvia gazed at the table. "Uh...kinda."

"Well," he said, hitting the white ball again, which hit a solid colour ball. "The object is to get all the balls in those pockets."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

He turned his head and smiled. "You try."

She moved towards the table nervously, unsure of exactly what to do. "All right – I hit the white ball with my pool stick." She did so, and it hit a solid coloured ball but was unsuccessful getting it into the pocket. She cursed aloud and sighed.

He just laughed. "You're goin' for the striped ones, huh?"

"What? But—"

"If I was hittin' the striped ones, you'd be hittin' the solid ones."

Sylvia shrugged while her mind analyzed. "Yeah, I knew that."

He continued to shoot his pool stick around, and she just watched him with her arms crossed. This guy came over here like he owned the place, and now he wasn't willing to let her have her own pool table back.

"So you really wasn't waitin' for anyone?" he asked, and Sylvia rolled her eyes. There was something about him that really annoyed her, but at the same time she was somewhat attracted to him.

"No."

He shrugged.

Sylvia placed her pool stick on the table. "I'm goin' to leave now," she said.

"All right, girlie," he said with a smile. "Careful, though. Ya never know who's out there."

She rolled her eyes and made her way out of the crowded bar, finding it difficult to even breath. She came to Buck's wanting to see Dallas Winston again, but instead she found herself with another boy. How had that happened anyway?

She shook her head and walked through the door. No way would she want to see that boy again.

He was _so_ annoying, and the way he spoke to her like she was some sort of damn idiot made her blood boil.

There were so many cars in the parking lot, there was _bound_ to be someone she knew.

Then she turned around and faced Buck's, feeling a little disappointed.

She hadn't even caught his name.


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Outsiders, nor the song "Celebrity Skin" preformed by Hole .

_**Chapter Six**_

--_It's only us left now_…--

"Yeah, like _that_ would work."

Sylvia bit her lip and erased her answer. Science was definitely not her best course, nor her favorite, which would explain why she just _had_ to daydream all class.

Now she was stuck with a three page assignment about something she didn't even understand.

"Well, what would?" Jill complained, dropping her head onto the coffee table.

Linda shrugged. "I just know that dating Frankie ain't going to resolve any way Don treats you."

Jill pouted. "But why not?"

Sylvia bit the edges of her pencil and began reading what she had so far.

So far…so not good.

"Hey, Syl, what do you think?" Linda asked. "Think whoring yourself will make your boyfriend respect you?"

Sylvia held back a laugh. "I don't know."

"You're an expert on this," Jill said. "Remember the time you an' Tim were fighting, so then you—"

Linda elbowed her in the stomach, and immediately Jill shut up. Sylvia couldn't help but roll her eyes. They should have known Sylvia was over the fact that Tim was gone, and the fact that she had to move on soon.

Jill tilted her head to the side. "Syl, what's the matter? Are you catching that flu?"

"Ugh," Linda groaned, leaning back. "Tom has it. He tried to kiss me the other day, and I almost—"

Sylvia ignored them and continued her concentration on her homework.

"Lin, do you have anything to eat?" Jill asked, standing up and wandering to Linda's kitchen.

The blond pulled one of her curls and watched it bounce back up. No one would ever know how boring it was sitting with two girls who were absolutely boy-crazy and never shut up about boys.

Who cares if Frankie was dating Ashley or if Tom had the damn flu?

"You know, Sylvia, we haven't heard you say five words since you came in," Jill said, a smirk on her face. "Is there anyone on your mind?"

She shook her head and replied, "No."

"What's wrong?" Linda asked, returning into the living room.

Sylvia shrugged. "Nothing. Just this damn assignment. I have to—"

Jill snorted. "Sylvia, since when have you given a shit about school marks or science assignments?"

"I miss Tim," she said quietly, and then they shut up.

The truth was, she didn't really. She was holding up better than she had thought, and even though she'd do anything to see him, she could declare her independence.

For now, anyway.

"Can't you go see him?" Linda asked. "I saw David Glover last year when he was thrown in."

"I just…I don't know if he'd want to see me."

"Are you kidding?" Jill cried.

She shrugged again, her eyes returning to her assignment.

The room was silent for a few minutes. The only thing Sylvia could hear was Jill chewing on crackers and her pencil scratching on her paper.

Jill cleared her throat. "Well, I got an idea. Why don't we go out to a movie?"

Linda smiled. "Yeah, girls night out!"

The blond bit her lip, trying to think of a reason not to.

"Come on!" Jill grabbed Sylvia's hand and helped her up. "It'll be fun! No boys, no problems, no worries. Syl, when's the last time you went to a movie?"

She sighed. "When Tim took me to see Psycho."

Jill looked at Linda helplessly. Then she started walking out the door, pushing Sylvia with her.

There was nothing Sylvia could do but be dragged by her best friends.

--

Jay's was busy.

There were always different movies playing, so it was a hot spot to go to. Sylvia had only gone there a few times with her girl friends and not Tim, and it seemed like everywhere she looked there was a boy with an arm around a girl's shoulders.

It made her sad.

"What do you want to drink, Syl?" Linda asked, pulling out some change.

She shrugged. "A coke, I guess."

"Get me a diet coke," Jill said. "I'm trying to lose five pounds."

"Oh my God, Jill, you do _not_ need to lose any more weight," Linda snapped. "You ain't supposed to be so thin when you're tall."

Jill rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Linda rushed away, and Jill linked her arm onto Sylvia's. "Which movie's on tonight?"

"Um…a boring one, probably."

She looked around at all the girls, all of them with skirts shorter than hers, and all with boyfriends. All with boys that looked like Tim, walked like Tim, talked like Tim…

She smirked. Maybe she _did_ miss him.

Then she saw a familiar boy. He had brown hair slicked back and a girl under his arm, a smile on his face. She studied him. It was killing her to not know who he was.

That's when it hit her. The boy from Buck's who taught her how to play pool.

She couldn't quite help but gaze at him for a few seconds. He was with a girl who must not have learned how to apply makeup properly or something. She squinted just to make sure it was him, and he looked over to her. She immediately faced the opposite direction.

A few seconds later, he was walking over to her and his date was walking to the candy counter.

Sylvia thought about fixing her hair or asking Jill if there was anything in her teeth, but she decided to play it cool and give him a nice, tough look. Luckily, before Jill noticed the boy coming over, she announced she was going to the powder room.

Leaving Sylvia alone.

"Well, well," he said. "If it ain't Ms. Sylvia Reynolds."

"Hi," she replied, offering a smile.

"How's it going?" he asked.

She shrugged. "All right, I guess."

He nodded. "Doing okay without the man, huh? How long's he been in, anyway?"

"Six weeks."

"Pretty rough. I'll bet you're gettin' lonely."

Absent-mindedly, she replied, "Sometimes."

He had intense green eyes that were easy to get lost in. He smiled again, and Sylvia couldn't help but feel her knees grow weak. He was pretty good-looking, and flirting with a cute boy could never hurt anyone.

"What're you doing next Friday night?"

"Huh?"

"Next Friday," he repeated. "You busy?"

She felt her face grow warm. "Well, I guess not, but—"

"How 'bout we do something?"

Sylvia pointed her eyes to the girl at the counter. "Who's she?"

"My cousin."

"Your cousin?" She raised an eyebrow. "You always take your cousins to the damn movies?"

His face dropped. "All right, she ain't my cousin, but she ain't my girlfriend neither."

Sylvia tried to remain tough, but she couldn't help herself. He looked so cute, his smile as wide as could be, his eyes, his hair…

"Okay," she said, her lips twitching in a smile. "We'll meet at Buck's."

"Sounds _great_."

He began to walk away, and Sylvia felt her mind spin. She had just agreed to go on a date with someone she didn't even know. She didn't know his hobbies, his life-style, or even his goddamn name.

Her eyes widened.

"Wait!"

He stopped and turned around.

"I didn't…I don't really know your name."

"It's Rick," he replied, and Rick turned around to join his date.

Sylvia fell against the wall, her legs completely weak. It had been a long, _long_ time since someone was able to make butterflies float in her stomach.

--

The house had thin walls. It probably explained why it had become a habit for Sylvia to cry while she showered. Even walking through the kitchen, you could hear Judy's soft sobbing coming from her bedroom.

Sylvia's heart pounded. She hated more than anything to hear her younger sister cry.

She slowly made her way up the stairs and softly knocked on the door. Immediately, Judy stopped crying and was silent for a few seconds.

"Come in," she said, and Sylvia opened the door.

"Hey," the blond said with a smile. "What's the matter?"

Judy turned away from her. "Nothing."

"Come on, Jude. When I was your age, nothing meant a lot more than not a thing."

Judy inhaled sharply and looked at the ground. She must have been like Beth – Beth would not bare to let people see her cry. Even when it was just Bill, she would turn her head away and ask to be alone.

"Tell me," Sylvia pressed on, placing her hand on Judy's shoulder.

"Mike…he just…confuses me."

Sylvia assumed Mike was Judy's boyfriend, even though she'd never heard the name before.

"All boys are confusing."

"Not Tim."

The older girl laughed. "Tim Shepard was the most confusing boy I've ever met in my entire life. What's Mike doing to be confusing?"

"He…he doesn't want me to come over to his house until I get on the Pill."

Everything froze. Judy was fourteen years old, and it made Sylvia sick once she analyzed that this Mike boy was a little more confusing than she had thought. Did he just want to date Judy for sex or something?

The very thought made her see red.

"Mike..." Her voice was caught in her throat. "Wants you to go on birth control?"

She nodded.

"Judy, I think it would be best if you broke it off with him and moved on. Tim ain't _never_ pressured me into something like that."

The younger girl continued to stare at the ground, and Sylvia knew Judy's mind was spinning.

"Something like that is really worth thinking about," she explained. "And I don't think you should do it just because Mike wants you to. And obviously it's all he wants."

"It's all anyone wants."

Sylvia nodded. "Do any of your friends…"

"A few."

"Jesus Christ, Jude, do _not_ do something like that so soon. Save it for when you're ready. Not because the other person thinks _he_ is."

Judy nodded quickly. "When I went out with Bob that's all he wanted, too."

"Don't date," Sylvia replied. "Don't date at all."

There was silence for a few minutes, and then Sylvia decided to leave. Judy's mind was probably preoccupied with what her sister had told her, so the blond slowly made her way to her own bedroom and thought about her earlier years.

Tim had never asked her about sex. Never. Especially not when she was fourteen.

Time's must have been changing or something, because if a boy ever told Sylvia to go on birth control, she would gladly spit in his face and forget she ever knew him.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Outsiders, nor the song "Bright Lights Big City" preformed by the Rolling Stones.

_**Chapter Seven**_

--_You're gonna wish you listened to some of those things I said_…--

Sylvia straightened out her shirt, gave a tough look in the mirror, rolled her eyes, and threw the red top off.

She wished she would have told Jill or Linda about the date. They would have _ran_ over to help her pick out an outfit. She knew so far that black made her look like a vampire, purple made her look like a whore, green made her look like a flower, and orange just made her look bad.

The idea of Beth helping her occurred a few times, but then she reminded herself Beth was gone out for the evening.

With Bill.

She sighed and picked out a tight blue blouse. Since the talk she had with Judy, Sylvia hadn't seen much of her. Maybe she was embarrassed, the poor girl.

"Am I gonna be home alone?"

Sylvia almost had a heart-attack. She turned around and faced James, thankful for having her shirt on.

"Christ, James, don't you knock?" she snapped.

He shrugged. "Sorry. Just wanted to know if you were going out."

"Yes, I am," she told him, examining herself in the mirror. "Where's Judy? Is Mom gonna be out all night?"

"Last week she stayed out till three," he said, allowing himself to sit on her bed. "Could I invite some guys over while you're gone? Mom won't know, and they'll be outta here by nine, I promise."

"No."

He groaned. "Come on, Sylvia, how long are you gonna be gone?"

"Probably until ten or eleven. I _don't_ wanna come home to a train wreck again."

"You won't, I swear it. I'll just have some guys over and we'll sit on the couch eatin' chips or something. Mom wouldn't care anyway."

Sylvia dug through her closet and sighed. "James, where's Judy?"

"I dunno. Out with Mike, I think."

She swore out loud and shook her head. "Why, why is she out with _him_?"

She meant to ask herself, but James shrugged and said, "I like him okay."

"You met him?"

"Yeah."

She rolled her eyes. "James, if you have one single thing on the floor that you expect me to pick up when I come back, I'll kick your ass from here to Texas."

He stood up. "Does that mean I can?"

"Sure, whatever," she said. "Just clean up and make sure they're gone by nine."

"Ten."

"Eight," she snapped, and he smiled.

--

Why Sylvia had ever agreed to meet at a bar she hated, she didn't know. All she could see was smoke and all she could taste was the bitter alcohol that stayed in her mouth.

She shouldn't have been there. It wasn't the place for her.

Rick obviously wasn't coming. Rather that or he expected them to meet much later in the night, and she felt too bad to leave James alone for that long.

A few boys walked in, and she felt her stomach turn. Then, once she had a closer look, she realized it wasn't them. Just some other greaser boys she recognized from school or something.

She couldn't help but sigh.

Then, out of nowhere, someone took a seat beside her. Her face lightened.

"Hi, Rick," she greeted, and he smiled at her.

"You been waitin' here long?" he asked, and she simply shook her head. He ordered a beer from the waitress and looked at her.

She tried as hard as she could to hide her giddiness. "So, what do you wanna do tonight?"

He shrugged. "Maybe take a drive around, stop to get somethin' to eat. What people normally do when they're together, y'know?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Well, aren't you drinking?"

He eyed his drink, and then passed it to her. "I got it for you."

She smiled slyly and took a sip, not hesitating to hide her sour face. He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, and Sylvia rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was another smoker. When she was with Tim while he was stressed, he smoked like a damn chimney.

"You want one?" he offered.

"Uh, sure," she replied. She had smoked a few before – what would one more do to her?

He sighed. "Guess it's just you an' me, Cowgirl."

She laughed. "Guess so."

He stood up. "C'mon, I bet you're gettin' hungry. This ain't no place for food, lemme tell you that."

"Really?" she said, ignoring her urge to cough from the cigarette. Rick seemed a little bit awkward, as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing. She followed him anyway, wondering what sorts of things he had in mind.

"My car's over here," he said, pointing, and she gladly threw her cigarette away.

He led her to a car that seemed nice looking, but once they got inside, she discovered otherwise.

The seats were ripped up, the radio was busted, one of the back windows were cracked, and the wind-shield wipers didn't work too well. Rick had to try a few times to get the car finally started, but she learned to be patient. Bill's car wasn't really the best one around, either.

"You born here?" he asked, and she looked over to him.

"Yeah," she said. "You?"

"Sure am. Born in my basement."

She giggled. "I never heard tell of something like that."

He smiled. "You're seventeen, ain't you?"

"Yeah, and I'm guessin' you're eighteen?"

"Almost. Next month, anyway."

She grinned and studied him. He seemed to have a sense of accomplishment, and she couldn't help but respect that. It seemed as though he really wanted her to like him or something.

"I'm guessin' you never heard about me before, have you?"

"Well, I've never heard the name Rick too much."

He sighed. "It's short for Fredrick."

"Fredrick…"

He hesitated. "Matchet. Frederick Matchet."

"Rick Matchet…" She thought about the name. "Well, maybe I've heard it a few times or something."

She saw him smile and wondered if he liked his name to be known.

"Where do ya wanna go?" he asked. "I've got five bucks with me, so we ain't goin' to no South Side or anything."

"All right," she replied. "How hungry are you?"

He shrugged. "Not very."

"Well, me neither."

"We could drive around for a while."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

--

"Man, shut the hell up!"

Laughter followed, and Sylvia had to take a few breaths. She specifically told James to have his friends out of the house by _nine o'clock_, and now, a little passed eleven, she could hear them laughing and shouting from the goddamn driveway.

She opened the door and slammed it. She couldn't help but be a little satisfied with seeing James' smile wipe straight off his face.

"Sylvia, I didn't think you'd be here till later," he said.

"All right, boys, the party's over," she told them, and they all laughed at James.

The tall one shrugged. "All right, Jim, I'll see you 'round."

"I ain't goin' anywhere tomorrow, so we might come back over," the other one added.

James nodded. "Later."

They slowly made their way to the door, and Sylvia crossed her arms over her chest. "James, what the fuck were they doing here?"

"Calm down, we was just hangin' out."

She pointed to the floor. "Damn it, what did I say about leaving shit on the floor!"

He rolled his eyes and picked up the chips. "Look, I didn't mean for—"

"Where's Judy?"

"I don't know. She ain't home yet."

Sylvia covered her eyes. "She's out with Mike? What the fuck is she thinking?!"

"Hey, Syl, calm down!" he snapped, standing up.

She smelled something stale and looked around. Smoke was coming from the hallway, and she followed it to find James' bedroom filled with smoke.

"James, were you fucking smoking?!"

"No, I–!"

"James, you better get this smoke out of here before Mom gets home!" she shouted. "God, you'd think you could use some common sense to know not to smoke in your own damn house!"

He ignored her and started waving his arms around and rushed to his window.

The front door opened, and Sylvia rolled her eyes. "It's too late, James."

The blond went out of the room and greeted her mother. James stayed in his room, and Sylvia decided to cover up for him by saying he had gone to bed earlier.

"Where's your sister?" she asked.

"Out with some girl friends," Sylvia replied. "She'll probably be home soon."

Beth nodded and set her purse on the kitchen table, using her hand to fan herself. "It's quite warm out. I guess spring is coming sooner than I thought."

"Where's Bill?"

"Out in the car. He…well, never mind."

A few seconds later, Bill came into the house, slamming the door behind him. "Why's my damned living room covered in all this?" he snapped, not sounding like his normal self.

"Uh, James had—"

Bill dragged himself across the floor. Sylvia looked at Beth suspiciously. Beth ignored her daughter's glance and went through the icebox.

"Jesus Christ," he was saying to himself, sitting on the couch. "Beth, is there any food?"

Beth didn't reply, and Sylvia felt her face grow warm. It was clear Bill had been drinking earlier in the night, and the very realization made her sick to her stomach.

Bill had fallen off the wagon.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Outsiders, nor the song "Don't Leave Me Now" preformed by Pink Floyd.

_**Chapter Eight**_

--_How could you treat me this way, running away? I need you, babe_…--

Sylvia couldn't help but smile when she saw Rick making his way over to her door. She hoped this would be the night when Friday nights suddenly became applied as a date. Maybe this time he wouldn't have to ask what she was doing for the rest of the weekend

Maybe now he could take the relationship a bit more seriously. After all, it _was_ their fourth date.

"Hey, babe," he greeted, and she felt a warm feeling.

"What took you do long?" she complained, and he grinned.

"Just this thing, I guess. You ready to go?"

She shrugged. "Do you wanna meet my brother and sister?"

He raised an eyebrow, and she dragged his hand inside to introduce him. She had already promised James once Sylvia mentioned she was going out on a date. James always wanted to meet those boys – she didn't quite know why.

"Why would I wanna meet your family?"

"My parents ain't home," she said. "Just Judy and James. C'mon, they'll like you."

He hesitated. "I think we should get goin'. Buck's is gonna be busy by the time we get there."

Her face dropped. "We're going to Buck's?"

"Yeah, I thought you liked that place."

She shrugged. "Well, I guess it's not the worst place in the world, but I kinda thought we could go somewhere a little nicer. You know, a movie or a place to eat…"

"I don't got much money," he explained.

She examined his face and gave a sigh. "Fine, whatever."

"If you wanna go to a movie, I guess we'll do that."

"Well, if you don't got—"

"Nah, we'll go see a movie."

She narrowed her eyes. "You sure?"

"If it'll make you happy," he said with a smile, and she felt her whole body lighten. When she was with Rick, everything just seemed to fall into place. Everything just seemed so right or something.

"You're so sweet," she replied, and they walked hand-in-hand to his car.

--

"…how many electrons would there be? Oh, let's see…Ms. Morison, do you have an answer?"

Sylvia faced Susan Morison, who had a shocked expression. "Uh…I don't know."

"Well, if you had paid attention, you would know," Mr. Young scorned, and Susan sunk low in her seat. Sylvia smirked; she learned early in the year not to be talking during one of Mr. Young's boring science lessons.

He shuffled through some papers. "I corrected your assignments from last week, and as for some of you I was _very_ impressed. With others…" He looked around the room. "I could have seen at least a little more effort."

Sylvia waited patiently for her homework. She was biting her pencil, expecting a good mark for how long it took her to write it.

Five days on something she didn't really give a damn about seemed relevant to her. She needed those marks, too, if she wanted to pass science.

"Ms. Reynolds," Mr. Young said, dropping her assignment on her desk, "I was disappointed."

Her body froze. Her eyes became sharp. There was no way that could be possible.

She stared at the "F" written on her paper.

How could she have gotten a failing grade for something she worked _so_ hard on? School definitely didn't make sense to her. When Mr. Young went to his desk, she decided to follow him.

"Mr. Young?"

"Yes?"

"I worked really hard on this assignment."

She tossed it onto his desk, and he simply smiled at her and passed it back. "Well, half of it was wrong."

"Wrong?"

He opened the papers and pointed to one paragraph. "First of all, this entire section was quite difficult to understand. When I finally pieced it all together, it didn't relate to the main subject at all."

She stared at him, her face heating up with anger, and she said, "Thank you, Mr. Young, for letting me know I can't do a damn thing."

--

"I fucking _hate_ school!"

Rick just looked at her, then concentrated back to the road.

"How come?"

"I worked a whole goddamn week on somethin' in science, and then my damn teacher failed me, and I'll probably have to take the course again next year! God, I should just…drop out or something!"

He shook his head. "Don't drop out."

"Why? Why shouldn't I?"

He paused for a minute. "Well, do ya want Judy or James to give up on school and not get an education and shit?"

"No, but—"

"Then why make them think they can do it, too?"

"Rick, I'm a junior who can't even write a stupid science essay," she snapped, unaware of how angry she sounded. "How am I gonna be a senior by the time next year comes?"

"Hey, do you mind we if stop at my place for a second?" he asked, quickly switching the topic.

She shrugged. "Sure."

He continued to drive down by the river, and she was suddenly interested. "You live by the river?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I live a few blocks away from Tim's."

"Shepard's territory?"

She nodded. "If you wanna call it that."

He pulled into a half-decent looking house and grinned at her. "Ain't no one home, so you don't gotta look so nervous."

She smiled. She didn't feel nervous.

He led her to the door and unlocked it. He held it opened for her and threw his keys on the coffee table. "It ain't much," he said. "I'll bet your place is nicer."

"Not really."

"I'm gonna head to my room for a second," he told her. "You can come if you want."

"Sure."

He grabbed some water from his sink and made his way down the stairs. She was surprised to see how organized it was.

"The basement's mine," he said. "My room's over here. Oh, fuck…"

"What?"

He shook his head. "The laundry room's startin' to flood. Fucking house does all the time."

She followed him into the bedroom and he looked through his clothes in his closet. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing, so she decided to sit on his bed and wait patiently for him to finish.

Suddenly, he faced her and began kissing her. It wasn't their first kiss, but probably their most intense one. She didn't push him away and kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting her fingers run through his hair. It was unexpected, and she didn't mind that at all.

Rick then let her slowly fall to her back, and Sylvia opened her eyes. She didn't push him away until she saw his hand reaching up her blouse.

"Rick, wait a minute," she said.

He pulled away. "What?"

"We gotta go back a step." She sat up straight and bit her lip. Then a sigh escaped her lips. "I'm sorry, but…"

"C'mon, Sylvia, we been datin' a while."

She shook her head. "We been dating for three weeks."

He gently stroked her leg and stared into her eyes. "I really care about you, Sylvia, and I ain't lyin'. The first time I met you I knew you'd be real easy to fall for."

"I just…"

"I was right," he added, and kissed her again.

She felt her head touch the wall as he held her cheek. He seemed sincere for a few minutes, and then he began moving things quicker. Sylvia wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn't find it in her. He was sweet sometimes, and he made her happy when she was upset…

But this wasn't those times when everything seemed right. Suddenly her father entered her mind, and she felt sick. He would be so disappointed if he knew what she was doing, and Tim…

…she was betraying Jon _and_ Tim.

"You're so beautiful, Sylvia," Rick said, and she smiled half-heartedly at him.

It didn't feel right, but she couldn't say no.

--

Sylvia had tried to explain to Rick that he should be a persuader for a career or something, but he ignored her and announced he was going to the bar to get some drinks.

Then he started talking to some greasers in the corner.

God, she thought. Ever since they had started sleeping together, Rick had developed a whole new personality. He was still sweet and charming, but somehow she wasn't his number one priority anymore.

The greasers in the corner seemed like they were talking about solid business. Sylvia had no idea what kind of business Rick could be talking about.

She sighed to herself and shifted uncomfortably in her stool. Rick could always convince her to go anywhere – she wasn't sure how. Especially when it came to Buck's.

She wasn't completely alarmed when someone came to sit beside her. She didn't think it was someone who wanted to talk to her.

"Are you some kinda fucking fool?" he asked bitterly, and it took her a few seconds to realize he was talking to her.

"Excuse me?"

Dallas Winston made a face. "Reynolds, what the fuck?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you was smarter than that. Look at you, all confused and shit. You don't got a clue of what I'm talkin' about."

She shook her head, "No, I don't, so tell me."

He spun around in his stool and pointed to Rick. "Do you even know who Rick fucking Matchet is? Do you know what he's doin'?"

"Huh?"

"Rick Matchet is the River Kings leader, you blond bimbo."

"Don't call me a bimbo," she snapped. "Aren't the River Kings a gang or somethin'? What does that got to do with me?"

"Everything," Dallas said. " 'cause he's fucking usin' you."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Outsiders, nor the song "Listening" preformed by The Used.

_**Chapter Nine**_

--_I don't see anything now, so just say what you wanna say. It's kind of funny how I'm not listening anyway_...--

"Usin' me?" Sylvia laughed. "Rick ain't usin' me. Why would he?"

"Can't you put two-an'-two together?" Dallas snapped. "Rick's the leader of the River Kings, who're a gang that put Tim Shepard in jail. Now Rick's datin' you only 'cuz you're Shepard's chick an' everyone knows it."

She shook her head. "No, that can't be true."

"Well, it is. I bet you the first thing he asked you was if you was Shepard's girlfriend."

She nibbled her lip with anger and looked at Rick. "But…he really cares about me. He told me so, and he tells me I'm beautiful, and…"

"Do you have any idea how gang shit works?" he asked. "Them boys can lie through their teeth as easily as breathin'. They'll kill people without a second thought, and datin' a chick wouldn't hurt them any."

Sylvia felt bitterness enter her mind as she glared at Rick. It couldn't be possible. After the time they'd spent together, he wouldn't even tell her?

She felt so embarrassed. She knew the name Rick Matchet was somewhat familiar, but Tim never talked about other gangs.

"I'm such a fucking idiot," she muttered, ripping her napkin into tiny pieces.

"Christ, Reynolds, I thought you had some sense in ya."

"Shut up," she shot back. "How was I supposed to know? He's a damn good liar, and Tim wasn't here to help me or anything."

He glanced at her. "I just heard 'bout y'all the other day. I thought you was loyal to Tim."

"I am."

"So then you opened your legs for Rick just 'cuz he calls you beautiful?"

She glared at Dallas. "Shut the fuck up, Winston, and maybe I won't—"

"Winston?" Sylvia heard, and she looked up to see Rick staring at Dallas in front of them. "What're you doing?"

"You got some fucking nerve, gettin' with this broad knowin' she's Tim's." Dallas stood up. "When Tim gets outta jail he's gonna fucking kill you."

A crowd had circled around the two, and Sylvia uncomfortably turned around.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

Sylvia faced Rick angrily. "Oh my fucking God, Rick, you used me!" she shouted, shoving him. "You used me! And I was a big enough fool to believe everything you said, all the shit you told me. I can't believe you were usin' me to get to Tim!"

Rick's face suddenly went from confused to furious. "Don't fucking yell at me!"

"She can yell at you if she fuckin' wants to!" Dallas shouted.

Sylvia shook her head at Dallas. "I can tell him myself."

"Sylvia," Rick said, "you have three fucking seconds to apologize to me. One…" He kept his eyes on her, and she didn't budge. "Two…"

"Three!" Dallas yelled, and without a warning punched Rick straight in the nose.

The fight started so unexpectedly, Sylvia was pushed out of the way and suddenly couldn't see what was going on. Boys were shouting and rooting for rather Dallas or Rick, and the girls were giggling and pointing at Sylvia.

The blond pushed through the crowd and was immediately forced to the back of the crowd.

"What the fuck is goin' on?" a loud voice boomed, and everyone made way for Buck to enter the center of the circle. "Winston, Matchet, get the hell outta here."

Dallas brushed himself off casually and made his way out of the bar. Sylvia found it necessary to follow him.

"Listen, I appreciate you doin' that," she said, rushing to keep up with his pace. "But I don't need you to take care of me. I can take care—"

"Yeah, looked like you were doin' real good all by yourself."

She ran in front of him and stopped. "Shut the hell up, I was doing fine."

"Real ladylike," he snapped.

"I don't get this gang stuff," she said, beginning to walk with him. "What the hell would Rick prove if I was dating him until Tim gets out?"

"He just wants to piss Tim off," he replied. "It ain't about stealin' the broad or makin' her fall for him, it's knowing that Tim knows his girl's been with Rick Matchet before."

She sighed. "That don't make sense."

"Didn't think it would. You want a drive home or somethin'?"

She stared at him with confusion. One minute he's insulting her, and the next he's somewhat doing her a favour?

"Sure," she replied, shrugging, and followed him to a red T-bird.

"You'd better stay away from 'em Kings," he said, jumping into the car. "They'll be doin' anything they can to get on the Shepard boys' bad sides since Tim's in the cooler. Fuck, he's gonna kill Matchet."

"Good."

They drove in silence, and Sylvia's mind was encountering a world of questions. Why would Rick want anything to do with her just because she's Tim's "girlfriend"? Would he really be so heartless as to hurt her like that?

"Can I ask you something?" she sheepishly said, and Dallas looked over to her.

"Sure."

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "How come you fought Rick?"

"'Cuz the fucker deserved it."

"Well…did you do it for me?"

He hesitated for a second, and then replied, "Tim's my buddy."

She slouched in her seat and drew a sigh. Of course Dallas Winston wouldn't fight someone for her – why would she bring herself to think that?

"Well…thanks anyway…"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She stared out the window as silence entered the car. She could feel tears starting to form, but she used as much will as she could to blink them away. Sylvia trusted Rick, and after she had opened up to him Dallas threw it in her face and took her away from the fairytale.

But…she was kind of glad he did. The longer it would have taken for her to find out, the worse she would have felt.

"I don't get it," Dallas said, pushing his gear. "What did you see in him?"

She shrugged. "A guy that was too good to be true, I guess."

"Why did ya like him?"

"He was nice to me," she replied quietly. "He told me I was pretty, and he…he was just there for me."

Dallas continued his concentration on the road. "What do you mean, there for you?"

"He made me feel better when I was upset."

"So, you'll do anything to any guy if they call you pretty?"

She glared at him. "Quit bein' like that."

"I ain't doin' nothing," he protested. "What am I doing?"

"Just bein' all smartass-like. You're so sarcastic, it's goddamn annoying."

"I think I know what your problem is," he suddenly said, like he owned the world. "You'll believe what anyone says. That ain't gonna do you much good."

She snorted. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, with Tim you just thought you was the only thing he cared about, and with Rick you just couldn't use 'nuff of your brain to figure out he wasn't perfect."

"Fuck you," she spat.

"Hey, I'm just offerin' some advice."

"I don't need your damn advice. I can take care of myself."

He laughed. "You can keep sayin' that, sweetheart, but it ain't gonna be true."

She didn't know what to say to that. She was independent, right? She could hold on without Tim by herself. A frown made its way to her face. Maybe Dallas was right. Maybe she wasn't as independent as she thought.

"What time is it?" she asked quietly.

"A little passed one," he replied, shrugging and staring straight ahead.

She licked her lips and tried to push back any thoughts that entered her mind. All she could think about is killing Rick. How could he have done this to her? Did she betrayed Tim for nothing?

"You sure you want me to drive you home?"

She swallowed. "Yeah."

"You seem happy," he said, and she rolled her eyes at his sarcasm.

"I've got a lot on my mind."

"Try me."

Sylvia bit her lip. Why in God's name would Dallas give a damn about what she was thinking about? Maybe if she told him, he would shut his mouth and stop being so bitter.

"I'm just mad at Rick is all," she replied.

"So? By the way, I don't know where the fuck you live."

She sighed. "He lied to me. The bastard _lied_ to me."

"I'm guessin' you live by Tim."

"I feel like I can't even trust anyone no more. I mean, Tim would rather get thrown in jail than to be with me, and my dad..."

"Where do you live?" he joked, driving down Tim's street.

Sylvia scratched her neck nervously. "My daddy would rather die on his job than to make sure I'm okay."

Sylvia bit her lip while her emotions suddenly changed from sad to angry. Why the hell was she telling Dallas Winston this? Was it even like he gave a damn? She decided she may have had a bit too much to drink.

They drove in silence as she felt her left eye water. Tears always spilled out of her left eye first. She was never quite sure why.

"Where do you live?"

"Take a right," she told him.

He was quite for a moment. "Well, does it make you sad?"

"Does it make me _sad_? Of course, it makes me sad."

"Maybe instead of bein' sad you can learn somethin' from it," he suggested, shrugging. "Life ain't always gonna throw you flowers an' roses. It's gonna throw you fuckin' bombs an' bullets. I can't help what gets thrown at me, but I ain't just gonna sit there and sulk."

She didn't reply. She only pointed at her house as he pulled onto her street.

"All's you gotta do is not let it touch you. Just quit worryin' 'bout it."

"Easier said than done," she muttered.

He pulled into her driveway and sighed. "You only live once."

She reached for the door handle. "I know."

"It's better to be tough an' know what the world's about than to hide from it."

Sylvia nodded and opened the door. "Thanks for the drive."

"Yeah."

She slowly lifted herself out of his car and shut the door. He drove away quickly, leaving her to ponder. He seemed tougher than she had thought, and maybe he had had some shit to deal with in his life.

Was it easier to be like him than to remain the same?

She watched his car hurry down the street. Then she turned to her house and tried to feel brave. Beth and Bill had probably gone to bed already, so what was there to worry about?

When she opened the door, she was automatically greeted by her stepfather.

"Who the hell was that?"

Sylvia made a face at him. "Who?'

"That boy that drove you home at _one o'clock in the goddamn morning!_"

Beth rose from the couch. "Bill, I think we ought to get to bed. I know you had a rough day at work, so—"

"Why would you care how late I stay out?" Sylvia snapped. "It's Friday, ain't it?"

"Sylvia, get upstairs and get to bed," Bill ordered, pointing to the hall.

She laughed. "I ain't listening to you. I'll stay up as late as I wanna."

Beth sighed quietly. "Honey, it _is_ late, and—"

"Typical mother, taking his side."

"Sylvia, go upstairs," Bill pressed on.

"Like I'm gonna listen to some drunk bastard. Jesus, let me get somethin' to eat first. I haven't eaten since supper."

Her mother tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "Listen to Bill and—"

"Why? He ain't my father."

"He's the one that pays the fuckin' bills every month so you'll have a damned roof over your head," he snapped.

Sylvia didn't budge and wandered to the icebox. She was used to Bill's drunken rants and Beth's ways of listening to whatever he said. She couldn't control the way Bill was, so she wasn't bothered.

"Damn it, Sylvia, _get upstairs!_"

She bit her lip and attempted to ignore him.

"Sylvia Elizabeth Reynolds," Beth started, "you had better march to your room or you can consider yourself grounded!"

The blond faced her mother and laughed again. "You're real intimating, Ma," she said sarcastically.

"I can't believe you would come into this house dressed like a whore and act so ignorantly!" Beth cried. "I said—"

"You're a great fucking mom!" Sylvia shouted, finally letting her anger out. "You let this bastard do whatever he wants, put aside your daughter to make sure your alcoholic husband is happy!"

She stormed through the two to open the front door.

"You sure are on top of my shit-list," Bill said to her before she left.

Sylvia glared at Beth. "Well _both_ of you are on mine."

She slammed the door as hard as she could, emphasizing her point, and felt a rush of emotions. Suddenly tears started pouring out of her eyes as she sobbed quietly, hurrying to Linda's house down the street.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Outsiders, and Oasis owns the lyrics to "Live Forever".

_**Chapter Ten**_

--_I think you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see; you and I are gonna live forever_...--

"I thought you'd be stayin' home tonight."

Sylvia shrugged at Judy. "Nope. Linda's picking me up and were goin' to...uh, we're goin' out."

Judy sighed and flipped through the pages of her magazine. "So I'm stuck with this idiot?" she asked, nodding her head towards James.

"Nah, I guess not," he replied. "I'm leaving soon with Dan and Thomas."

"So everyone's got a life but me?"

Sylvia shrugged. "What about that boy you was seein'?"

"Mike? Nah, that ain't gonna work. He's too weird."

"Really?" The blond gazed out the window, wishing Linda would hurry up. "What about...that Angela Shepard? She's good friends with you, huh? When me and Tim were dating, she was telling you all about us, I'll bet."

The brunette shrugged. "She's kinda childish. I'm older than her, anyway."

"She _is_ a bitch," Sylvia agreed.

There was an awkward silence. The oldest looked at her siblings and wondered why they looked so uncomfortable. Finally, James broke the silence.

"How come you left last night?" he sheepishly asked.

"I got in a fight with Mom."

"Yeah, no shit," Judy said. "But...you didn't...really have to leave the house."

Sylvia shrugged. "I don't see why I would have stayed. Bill was bein' real rude to me."

"Dad ain't that bad," James argued. "Just get on his good side an' there—"

"You two don't get it. He's your dad, so you love him no matter what he does."

Judy sunk low on the couch. "Well, Mom was real hurt by it. Wouldn't stop crying all night. She's upset that you won't let her in anymore."

"It's her own fault." Sylvia gazed out the window again, tapping her foot. "She probably told y'all to talk to me 'bout it 'cause she don't got the guts."

"Mom's scared all the time," James said, "but you don't gotta kick her down for it."

Finally, a familiar blue car pulled in, and Sylvia looked at them. "If Bill wasn't your father, you two would get it."

--

"You wouldn't _believe_ how many people offered me a smoke on my way to the bathroom."

Linda laughed lightly as she took a seat beside Sylvia at one of the dining tables. She opened her purse and pulled out five cigarettes. "This is a great place to flirt with boys. The best thing is, there's no damned strings attached. You see a cute boy, you smile and talk, and he gives you a weed. You want one?"

Sylvia accepted the brunette's generous offer and hesitated to get the matches working. Linda rolled her eyes in annoyance while she lit Sylvia's cigarette for her.

"Thanks," she said, unsure of what else to say.

The brunette looked uncomfortable. "I'm real sorry about what happened to you last night."

"Don't worry about it."

"It's weird, 'cause Bill ain't a bad guy normally."

Sylvia ignored Linda for the next few minutes. She was here to have fun, not to worry about the argument she was trying to forget.

"I'm so glad you convinced me to come here," Linda was saying while Sylvia's eyes wandered around the room. "It ain't like any parties we normally go to, you know? I wonder if I can get anyone to buy me a drink."

The blond laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

"Hey! C'mon, it probably ain't that hard." She sat up straight in her seat and leaned in closer to Sylvia. "I bet you two dollars the next guy that walks in here'll buy me a drink."

"All right." The two shook hands and watched the door. "How do you plan to do that?"

Linda smirked. "That's my secret."

Finally, the door opened, and the two impatiently moved around to see who it was.

"He doesn't seem bad looking," Linda said.

"Well, we ain't seen his face yet."

After a few seconds, the boy turned around. Sylvia squinted her eyes to see if she knew him. He _was_ fairly attractive, much to Linda's benefit, but there was something about him Sylvia recognized.

Then it hit her.

It was Don Applegate, Jill's six-month boyfriend.

Sylvia held back a laugh. "Good luck."

The brunette glared at her friend. "You cannot expect me to walk up to my best friend's boyfriend and flirt with him until he buys me a drink."

"Well, it's two dollars."

Linda rolled her eyes. "Can we _please_ try the next boy who walks in?"

"Fine, whatever."

"I wonder what Don's doin' here. Ain't he supposed to be with Jill or something?"

"Yeah. She said she couldn't come with us 'cause he was takin' her out to dinner."

They watched him in curiosity, lighting a cigarette and flipping his light hair out of his eyes. He was looking around, as if waiting for someone. Sylvia had her chin settled on her palm while noticing a girl, about her own age, approach Don with a kiss.

Linda grabbed Sylvia's arm and gasped. "Jesus, Syl, that's Lois Cunningham!"

"Shit! Are you serious?"

"I have to call Jill. Is there a phone in here somewhere?"

She shrugged. "I think so."

Linda stood up quickly and rushed away. Sylvia put out her cigarette with a sigh. She may have been friendly with Lois a few times – they were in the same history class – but she had to admit that Lois must have been a goddamn fool. If you were going to go out with someone who was taken, it should take common sense to know not to go to Buck's.

It was like she wanted people to know about it.

Within minutes, Linda returned and snorted.

"Don told Jill that he wasn't feelin' too good. She thought he was laying in bed all night tonight."

"Did you tell her?"

" 'Course, I told her. She's comin' over right now."

Sylvia nodded and watched the couple talk closely. "So, you still on for that bet?" she asked.

"Sure. You see anyone?"

The blond pointed at the door where a dark haired boy was walking into the bar with a tight leather jacket. At that moment, Sylvia realized both she and Linda knew him.

It was David Glover, Tim's best friend and Linda's ex-boyfriend.

"Christ," Sylvia muttered under her breath. "Sorry, Lin, I—"

"Him?" The brunette snorted. "This'll be the easiest money I ever got."

She pushed up her bra, shook her hair, and made her way to David slyly. The blond watched them intentively. Suddenly, her interest was brought elsewhere.

Jill had walked into the bar. She searched the room carefully. Sylvia waved at her, and Jill only gave a half-hearted smile. Then she spotted Donald Applegate. The blond straightened up in her seat. Would Jill go after Don, or would she deal with Lois first?

Her question was answered when The redhead angrily slapped Don straight across his face. The bar went dead silent before Jill spat on Lois's feet.

Everyone crowded around to see if a fight would start, but Sylvia remained in her seat. She knew Lois wouldn't have enough guts to mess with someone as crazy as Jill.

However, Jill's next action surprised Sylvia. The redhead had actually walked out the door wordlessly, her head up high and never looked back. Sylvia smirked to herself. Had she caught Tim with another girl before getting thrown into jail, would she have the decencies to walk away?

Groups of people separated and returned to what they were previously doing. Lois seemed extremely insulted, telling Don something the blond couldn't quite hear. She tried to find Linda and successfully spotted her sitting with David, two drinks in front of them.

Damn. She didn't even _have_ two dollars.

The door had opened once again, and Sylvia somehow wasn't surprised to see Dallas Winston walk in.

He was wearing the same leather jacket he always did, and his hair looked like it could use a damned haircut. She watched him as he smiled that crooked smile and walk over to the waitress, ordering a beer, most likely.

She didn't find it necessary to call his name. After the night he had driven her home, she felt a little embarrassed, crying in front of him like that. She had a small pride in her, and she wanted to keep it.

"Reynolds?"

She ignored the urge to roll her eyes. "Hello Mister Winston."

He smirked. "What's goin' on?"

Sylvia simply shrugged.

"Why is it," he was saying, pulling out a cigarette, "that I always see you here alone?"

"My friend abandoned me for her ex-boyfriend."

"Figures," he muttered, allowing himself to sit beside her. "You must really like it here, huh?"

She looked at him. "Well...I used to hate it."

"Fucking baby Jesus. Lookit over there." Sylvia figured he was talking to himself. "Danny fuckin' Chambers thinks he's the shit or something. I oughta spit in his blasted face."

"He don't look like he's asking for a fight. He's jus' playing pool."

"Hell, I can _see_ that," he snapped.

"You have an annoying way of rambling on about shit no one cares about."

Dallas eyed her sharply. She returned his stare, and after a few seconds he smiled.

"I'm a little disappointed," he said.

"Yeah? An' why is that?"

He shrugged. "The only times I've ever seen you is by accident. Here. It ain't like I plan on that or nothing."

"That so?" she replied, but she was a little distracted by the way Linda was talking to David.

"Aw shit," Dallas said, standing up. "I'll be right back."

She nodded absentmindedly and watched Linda play with David's zipper. She couldn't believe her friend was touching him so much, smiling her sassy smile, and looking so happy with him.

They had dated a year ago. A damn year, and Linda couldn't even get over him? Sylvia even remembered their first date, since her and Tim had actually ran into them. Lin was so nervous, and she remembered David, embarrassed that Tim pleasantly interrupted them before Dave could kiss her.

She smiled to herself. A year ago...

A year ago Tim wasn't in jail for nine months. He was in jail for four weeks, and then he was there for her the rest of the year. A year ago Bill was sober. He had never said a single nasty word to her, but now she had to stay in her room at all times to avoid getting into a bicker with him.

A year ago Jonathan Reynolds was still alive, willing to give Sylvia shopping money whenever she needed it...and was willing to have Sylvia over at his place whenever she liked.

Everything was fine then. Now, it seemed like she wasn't so sure.

It didn't seem like she would pass the eleventh grade without going to summer school.

She would probably have to repeat the grade. Two more years of school, and then another few years in college. If she was even going, anyway.

"Hey," Dallas Winston greeted, joining her again. "Sorry 'bout that, Reynolds."

"Don't worry about it."

He pointed to the table near a door where two boys around her age were standing. "See the tall one with dark hair?"

Sylvia nodded. "Why?"

"I was jus' talkin' to him."

"Really now?"

He smiled at her, raising his eyebrows. "We're goin' out with him and his broad next weekend."


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters you may recognize, or the song "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane.

_**Chapter Eleven**_

--_And your friends, baby, they treat you like a guest_...--

If Sylvia were to say she wasn't disappointed that Dallas didn't pick her up, she would have been lying through her teeth. He actually expected her to get her own damn drive to the Dingo?

It was a little annoying. If you were going to ask a girl on a date (more like tell her, really), then why wouldn't you pick her up?

Especially if you had a _sweet_ T-bird like Dallas did.

So Sylvia hopped onto the bus and looked around. The only people she could see were old people and parents with their children. Sylvia smirked. She hated kids. She hated the way they screamed and shouted at the grocery store, the way they taunted teenagers...

She was probably remembering the horrible times she had to babysit James and Judy. It's a miracle that James was still alive.

The Dingo was a nice place to go to on dates. Tim had taken her there a few times, and she liked it okay. She hoped Dallas didn't plan on taking her to any movies, though – too much time with him might make her go crazy. He was all right, but something about him bugged her. She wasn't as attracted to him as she thought she would be.

He seemed like he was only talk.

When she first met him, he reminded her of Tim. He was flirtatious and fun, but he was also more carefree. Tim was more professional and committed.

Sylvia looked around the booths and finally spotted the tall, dark haired boy Dallas showed her the weekend before.

"Sylvia?" he said.

She smiled. "Dallas ain't here yet, is he?"

"Nah," the dark haired girl said. "He's always runnin' late."

Sylvia sat down and bit her lip. It was a bit awkward having dinner with two people you don't even know. She watched the door impatiently and wished Dallas would hurry up.

"I'm Steve," he introduced. "That's Evie."

"Do you know where Dallas is?" Evie asked.

Sylvia faced her with a smile. "If I knew where he was, would I ask if he was here yet?"

Evie scrunched her nose and looked at Steve. Steve simply shrugged as Sylvia continued gaze at door. This was a horrible idea. She wasn't even _interested_ in Dallas.

"She sure as hell must be Dally's girl," Steve murmured into Evie's ear, probably thinking the blond couldn't hear him.

"I'm Tim Shepard's girlfriend," she decided to say. "I just owe Dallas a favour."

For some reason, she took more pride in telling everyone she was Tim's.

"Dally didn't tell us that," Steve said.

"Dally told us y'all just started getting together," Evie said with laughter in her voice.

Sylvia smirked. "Dally is a goddamn liar."

The three were silent as they waited for Dallas to arrive. The blond sighed with frustration and gazed at them. "I sure wish he would hurry the hell up."

"He's always late," Steve explained. "I can't believe he didn't borrow a car and pick you up."

"Burrow? Don't he own that T-bird?"

Steve laughed. "That ain't Dally's. S'that what he told you?"

"I meant to say don't he use it a lot?"

Evie sat up straight. "So, you're datin' Tim Shepard? He's in the cooler right now, huh?" she asked Steve, and he nodded. "What a crazy boy."

"He's pretty damn crazy," Steve agreed.

"How'd you start datin' him?" she asked Sylvia.

Sylvia smiled. "We grew up together."

The three were silent again, and somehow the blond knew Evie was waiting for Sylvia to ask questions about her and Steve. However, she gazed at the menu and ignored them as they quietly whispered to each other.

"Know what you're gettin'?" Steve asked.

Sylvia shrugged as she heard a bell ring. She turned around and was more than a little thankful to see her date finally arrive.

Dallas spotted them and took a seat beside Sylvia. "S'goin' on?"

She immediately sensed the liquor off his breath and shook her head at him. "Dallas, have you been drinkin'?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Again."

Evie was silent as Dallas shrugged. "Don't tell me I can't drink, 'cause I damn will if I want to."

"It's six o'clock," she pressed on.

"So? You think that'll stop me?"

"Anyone ready to order?" Evie asked and opened her menu.

Dallas fiddled with his pack of cigarettes. "Glory, Evie, are you ever lookin' good tonight. Steve'll be one lucky man tonight, right, Stevie?"

Sylvia glared at him. "Oh, and I suppose I don't look good?"

He shrugged.

Steve glared at Dallas, too. "Dal, how 'bout you cut that out now?"

He laughed out loud. "I'm really shakin' now."

Sylvia slouched in her seat. How fucking _dare_ he. How dare Dallas take her on a date and show up so drunk, insulting everyone and...

"You let me know if Steve gets too boring for ya," Dallas said to Evie, winking.

"Dally, shut the hell up," Steve snapped.

"So, you ask me on a date," Sylvia analyzed out loud. "And then you tell me I gotta get my own ride?" She nodded. "So then you're late, and you're drunk."

He smiled at her. "Seems 'bout right, huh?"

A waitress approached them and pulled out a notepad. "Y'all ready to order?"

Evie ordered first, only wanting a small hamburger, and then Steve asked for a big meal. Sylvia was caught between two different choices as Dallas sat up straight in his seat and eyed the waitress.

"Hey, sweetheart, I'll just have whatever's easiest to make," he said with a smile.

When she left the table, Dallas simply watched her intentively.

"Do you mind not bein' an asshole?" Sylvia snapped.

He looked at her. "Am I being too much of an asshole for you?"He smirked. "Get used to it, baby, 'cause I ain't gonna change it."

"Yeah?" Sylvia stood up. "You won't fucking have to."

She began to walk out of the restaurant, hearing Dallas call her nasty names and felt her face grow warm. All she wanted to do was go back and slap him as hard as she could.

"She ain't goin' no where," Dallas was saying.

Sylvia put her head high and continued walking. Suddenly, her feelings were shifted away from beeing angry.

He insulted her, and he seemed more dangerous than before. Maybe he _was_ mostly talk, but for some reason Sylvia had never been more attracted to Dallas Winston.

--

"Hey! Lin, Jill!"

Sylvia quickened her pace to keep up with the two girls. Linda scrunched her nose while Jill refused to face her. The blond turned her head from the two girls and shrugged, confused.

"So, what's up?" she pressed on.

Jill simply smirked as Linda turned her face away from Sylvia. She felt like laughing out loud. There was something they were upset about, and they were obviously dealing with it in such a childish way.

"What's the matter?"

Neither replied, and Sylvia felt her anger rise.

"Oh, so y'all don't got the balls to tell me why you're not talkin' to me?"

Jill whirled around and scowled. "What's the matter? Did you just ask us what's the matter?"

Sylvia nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to say hi, and I was wondering what y'all were doing at lunch. But I guess you're mad about somethin'."

"We heard about your date," Jill replied. "Hangin' out with a new boy, we hear." The three exited the school and walked through the parking lot. "Sylvia, how come you ain't told us you're dating Dallas Winston?"

The blond was drawn back by Jill's anger. "Well, it wasn't a big deal. Just one date."

"Me an' Lin tell you everything," the redhead snapped. "The day me and Don started dating, who was the first person I called? The day Thomas and Linda broke it off, who was the first people she told?"

"I didn't think you would really care," Sylvia said while Linda lit a cigarette. "It was one date."

"You know that girl you was with, Evie Harris?" Jill pulled out her car keys. "She's one helluv a bitch, and you'd best ignore her for now on."

The blond hesitated to stay calm. "I think _I_ can choose who I'll ignore and who I don't."

"You're changin', Sylvia. Ever since Tim went into the cooler you just don't trust no one. Oh, that with the exception of Fredrick Matchet."

"How did you know about that?"

Jill flipped her hair over her shoulders. "David told Linda. How come we gotta hear things from Linda's ex-boyfriend 'stead of you? Hmm?"

Sylvia crossed her arms. "Yeah? What's Linda got to say about this?"

Linda looked at Sylvia nervously. "You _have_ changed, Syl."

"Did Linda tell you she was kissin' Glover all fucking night on Saturday?" she snapped angrily. "There's some shit I just wanna keep to myself. You're my friends, an' you should respect that. Don't get pissed at me because I don't tell y'all every single detail of my damn life."

"That's what friends're supposed to do. Is Harris replacin' us or something?"

"Jill, why don't you shut your fucking mouth?" Sylvia snapped. "An' Linda, why don't you get a goddamn spine? It's obvious you ain't sayin' shit 'cause you're scared about gettin' on Jill's bad side."

Linda bit her lip but didn't say anything.

"Listen, Syl," Jill stressed, flipping her car keys around her finger. "You're datin' Dallas Winston right now?"

"I don't know."

"Are y'all goin' on a second date?"

Sylvia sighed angrily. "I don't know, so you can just shut up and quit actin' like I'm some kinda criminal."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "You ain't a criminal. You're just bein' a bitch."

"Looks who's fucking talking!" Sylvia finally cried. "Jill, you don't tell me everything you do! You didn't tell me or Linda nothin' about fucking Frankie and how many times you slept with him while you an' Don was together."

Jill opened her car door and glared at Sylvia. "Don't be expecting no calls from us," she sneered, and slammed it in Sylvia's face.

--

The downtown streets were dark, even at seven o'clock, and Sylvia felt a little nervous. She tried to pull down her skirt, avoiding eye contact with any stranger who walked by. Suddenly, someone who was rather familiar was standing against the brick wall, his head back and curses flying out of his mouth.

It was Curly Shepard, Tim's younger brother.

How old was he? Thirteen or Fourteen? She wasn't sure. Younger than Judy, anyway.

"Curly?" she asked, walking up to him.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Hey, Sylvia, what's up?"

She shrugged as he stood up straight. "Any word about Tim?"

"Yeah, yeah. He's doin' fine. He always does." Curly exhaled smoke from his mouth, muttering, "He always fuckin' does."

It seemed like something was bothering him.

"Angela's doin' okay, I hope."

He raised an eyebrow. "Funny comin' from you. You'd think you wanna kill her, all the shit she's said to you."

"Everything all right, Curly?" she asked leaning in closer to him.

"Sure. Everything. Every fucking thing. Even how Summers was fucking stabbed last night. Yeah, Sylvia, everything's just fine an' dandy."

Sylvia was surprised by his bitterness. "What? Who was stabbed?"

"Craig Summers. My buddy from my gang. Last night we was walkin', and I left him alone for two fucking minutes. I come back, an' he's bleedin' all over the place. I got him to the hospital, though. Fuckin' animals out here. It ain't right, Sylvia, 'em Kings treatin' him like that."

She stared into his eyes and felt a pit in her stomach. "Is—is he all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Ten stitches later, anyway."

She shook her head. She felt awful for Curly, a boy put in such a situation at such a young age.

Then a thought came into her mind.

"Curly," she said, choosing her words carefully. "What did you just say? Something about 'Kings' treating him a certain way?"

"The goddamn River Kings," he explained. "The fucking leader stabbed him."

--

A/N: I am going away on vacation this week, so I can't update again until next Monday. Thank you to my reviewers who make me smile! : ) I hope everyone's been enjoying this story so far.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, no books written by S.E. Hinton or the song "Drain You" by Nirvana.

_**Chapter Twelve**_

_--It is now my duty to completely drain you...--_

Somehow she knew he would be at Buck's, laughing and bragging about how tough he was for stabbing a fifteen year old.

When she walked inside and saw him with a group of boys, her stomach dropped. It surprised her to realize how much she knew him although they dated for a month.

The four boys saw Sylvia walking towards them, and all but Rick left. Sylvia grabbed a bottle of beer and took a sip before heading closer to him.

"Fredrick fucking Matchet, you are _such_ a jerk!"

He shrugged and smiled. "If I had a nickel."

"What?" she snapped, wishing more than anything to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face. "Rick, you know what I'm talking about."

He just looked at her with pride, shrugging his shoulders as if it was nothing.

"Get that goddamn smile off your face."

"It's a free country, ain't it?"

"Go to hell," she spat. "After what you did to Craig Summers it makes me fucking sick just lookin' at you."

He snorted. "Jesus, you got—"

"Don't interrupt me. He's just a little kid, and you gave Tim another reason to beat the shit outta you once he gets out. How do you feel 'bout that?"

"...says the girlfriend who's been cheatin' on him since he went in."

She heard a few people snicker. Her face heated and she wondered if it was from anger or embarrassment. "Change the subject, why don't you. You _stabbed_ him, Rick. He could've been killed. Are you that self-centered? Jus' because of your stupid gang?"

"My gang ain't stupid," he shot back, standing up. "I take my boys seriously, y'hear? You're lucky I ain't been drinkin' tonight."

"What would you do if you was drinking?" Sylvia then became aware of the amount of people watching. "Nothin' to see here," she snapped.

"Just a tramp yellin' at a smart man. C'mon, babe, ain't you gonna wish me a happy birthday?"

That was when Sylvia threw her beer bottle at him, spat on him, and stormed out of the bar.

--

School was absolutely unbearable. Everywhere Sylvia walked, people were snickering and pointing at her, whispering into each other's ears. She had never really liked to be the center of attention – especially when it did something negative to her reputation.

What really pissed her off, though, was that no one had even bothered to _ask_ her what happened. They would just take in Rick's side of the story and make Sylvia the enemy.

After lunch at math class, Jill made sure to get the real details.

"How come you threw a beer bottle at Rick Matchet?" she asked casually, her eyes on the chalkboard. Sylvia was surprised to hear her talk. Ever since their argument, Jill and Linda had ignored her as much as they could.

" 'Cause the fucker deserved it."

"Huh," Jill muttered, chewing on her pencil, and then shrugged. "Seems like a weird thing to do."

Sylvia snorted. "He stabbed a little boy, so I don't know which situation sounds weirder."

Then they were quiet. Sylvia had wished more than anything for Jill to say another word to her, but she didn't. She enjoyed the fact that _someone_ wanted to know what really happened.

Everyone was taking things a bit to far. Just like how the moment Sylvia stepped out of the school, she heard,

"Did he fucking touch you?"

She jumped nearly a mile and realized it was Dallas, staring at her with his cold eyes. "Tell the truth, Sylvia, 'cause I'll know it if you're lyin'."

"No, he didn't touch me. I would've ripped his eyes out if he did."

"Good. I swear it, that guy's gonna have something comin' to him." They walked together slowly towards the parking lot. "So you really threw the bottle at him, huh?"

"Yeah, I sure as hell did. He deserved it."

He nodded. "I'm sure he fucking did. Blazing glory, I'd like to kill him."

She scratched her neck uncomfortably. "Well...you won't have to. I bet Tim'll take care of him for me."

"How long's he been in for? A few fuckin' months?"

Sylvia nodded.

"He ain't gettin' out for a while. Knowing the idiot he is, he'll probably get thrown straight back in. You gotta face it, sweetheart, 'cause you're on your own. No one's gonna help you in this fucking world."

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped. "You think I have to have someone look after me? I didn't need no help on Saturday, I don't need no help now."

She stormed away and looked around for her bus.

"I got a car you know," Dallas said, catching up to her.

"I got a bus to catch, you know." From the corner of her eye, she could see the laughter in his face. "You're wastin' your time, comin' here just to see me."

He laughed out loud. "You think I came here to see _you_? Someone thinks a little highly of herself."

She glared at him.

Dallas sighed. "I'm drivin' my buddies. The car they normally got broke down. They won't care if you come."

"Yeah? Well, I might."

"You ain't still mad at me for the other night?"

Sylvia felt her nose twitch. "Maybe."

He smiled at her, and she turned her face away to hide her own smile. There was no way he could tell she didn't mind the way he was acting.

"Come on," he pressed on, looking at her pleadingly. "Then at least help me schedule our next date."

"If there is one."

"Quit playin' hard to get. You know you want me."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Is that what you think I'm doin'?"

"Sure seems like it to me."

"Fine," she said, shrugging. They started parting ways as Sylvia spotted her bus. "You can have me on Saturday night. Pick me up, and _try_ to impress me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Won't be no problem."

She scrunched her nose. "Look pretty for me, will ya?"

He put his hand over his chest. "Ouch, Syl."

She put on a smile. "I'll see you then. Oh, an' make sure you don't drink too much. You can't really handle liquor too well, anyway."

Dallas's face quickly switched to angry, and before he could react she jumped onto her bus with butterflies in her stomach.

--

"Did you get your report card today?"

Sylvia jumped and put her hand on her chest. "Mom? What are you doing home so early?"

"The place was empty, so I got to leave," Beth replied. "So, let me see your marks."

The blond hesitated as she opened her notebook and pulled out an envelope. She passed it to her mother slowly. Beth smiled, opened it up and gazed at it for what seemed like an hour.

"Is this a mistake?"

"Well...not really..."

Beth sat on the couch with her eyes on the report card. "Sylvia, you failed _this_ many subjects?"

"It ain't my fault. My teachers all hated me."

"You...you have to go to summer school?"

"I don't _have_ to."

They were silent as Beth examined the marks again and again. Sylvia wandered to the kitchen and sat at the table, closely watching her mother struggle to comprehend what Sylvia was about to say.

"It says they won't let you go to grade twelve if you don't go to summer school or repeat the grade."

The blond folded her hands on the table. "Well, if I don't go to school no more, I don't have to."

"Do you want to quit school?"

"Um..." Sylvia couldn't figure out why she was so scared to step up to her mother. "Yeah. I do."

Beth seemed calm as she replied, "There is no way in hell you're dropping out of school."

"It ain't that bad," she argued. "A lot of kids I know have, and they're just fine. You know, I have a friend who's got a job and everything. She's doin' okay."

"I don't care what other people are doing, Sylvia. You're staying in school, and there's nothing more to say about it."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mom, don't be so dramatic."

"Do you think your father would want you to just quit?"

She gripped the table cloth as hard as she could. It was only on rare occasions when Beth mentioned something about Jon, and Sylvia didn't really like to talk about him. She breathed slowly to calm herself.

"I guess that don't really matter right now, does it?"

Beth glanced at her daughter. "Sylvia, please, don't say things like that."

She didn't reply.

"Honey, I want you to think about this."

"I been thinking about this all damn year, and if you don't want me to quit, you still got Judy and James to get an education."

"Do you really want them to think _they_ can drop out, too?"

Sylvia shrugged. "Just get Bill to stop them."

Beth sighed. "What could you do for a job, anyway? Be a waitress for the rest of your life?"

"You're a barmaid, Mom, so don't be such a goddamn hypocrite."

"I want you to have an education and have a career you want. Don't end up like me, Sylvia, with someone I'm depending on for money. You should never be in my situation. You should do whatever you can to stay out of it."

"What do you mean, you depend on someone?"

"Bill pays most of the mortgage, Sylvia. I wouldn't be able to pay it myself."

Sylvia shrugged. "If you two divorced, he'd have to pay you some money for James and Judy, wouldn't he?"

"Well, yes, but in realistic matters, I depend on him to make sure your siblings have a father."

"Then you should get him to quit drinkin'."

"That's a lot easier said than done. I have tried to talk to him about it, but he doesn't listen."

She rolled her eyes. "Please, Mom, you ain't said shit to him."

"Sylvia, don't swear."

She shrugged and tapped her fingernails on the table. Beth returned her eyes to the television set, seeming angry and upset.

"Well, you could tell him you want a divorce."

"What would Judy and James think?"

"I got over it," she snapped. "They will."

"Sylvia...you were a year old when your father and I separated. Judy's turning fifteen this winter, and James is turning twelve soon enough. They'll be crushed."

She shrugged again and stood up. "Is it better for them to see Bill in the state he's in right now?"

She started her way down the hall and stopped dead in her tracks. Judy was there, leaning against the wall, a frown on her face. Had she been listening to the conversation between Beth and her? Did she hear that Beth wanted Bill out?

"Are Ma and Dad breaking up?" she asked in tears, and Sylvia took her sister role and hugged Judy.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: **The familiar characters you read here are not mine, and the lyrics for "Been a Son" are not mine either, as they belong to Nirvana.

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

-- _She should have made her mother proud, she should have stood out in the crowd_…--

"I think that you should've."

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so."

Sylvia lifted her head and gazed at him. "If you wanted to be a gentleman, you should've. You got money with you, huh?" He nodded as she dropped herself onto the bench. "I don't get where you get all your money."

"Ya don't?"

"Nope."

He slouched on the bench and shrugged. "I ride horses, an' I'm damn good at it."

"Horses?"

"Yeah. I ride 'em, and Merril's my partner. Make good money doin' in. Not money I'd spend buying shit for you, though. I gotta feed myself."

"Hey, you'll never guess what Evie Harris told me the other day."

"What?"

"She told me she wants to hang out with you."

Sylvia shrugged. "What? Why?" She sat up straight. "Won't that be awkward?"

"Why the fuck would it be awkward?"

"It's like you an' Steve are forcing us to be friends. It's weird. It's like if I set you and my girl friend's boyfriend up to hang out, you know?"

He smiled at her. "It ain't nothin' like that."

"Really now?"

"Girls're different than men."

"That's what you think of yourself? A big man?"

He shrugged. "S'what I am."

She laughed to herself lightly as she set her head back. "So I'm a girl, and you're a _man_?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, that don't make sense, 'cause I'm a whole year older than you."

His smile faded, and she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing again.

--

Evie arrived sooner than Sylvia did. She entered the restaurant slowly and half-heartedly smiled at the dark haired girl. She didn't understand what was going on – the double date they had had a while ago didn't go very well. Sylvia found herself snapping at Evie and Steve, and she was embarrassed that Evie knew Sylvia couldn't tame Dallas when he was drunk.

"Hi," Evie said shyly.

"Hi."

They were quiet for a few minutes as Sylvia tapped her fingers on the table. It was goddamn awkward having their boyfriends forcing them to hang out.

It wasn't Evie asking Dallas. It was damned Steve Randle.

"Didn't you say you was Tim Shepard's girlfriend?"

Sylvia was startled. "Yeah, but he's in jail for a year. Comin' back sometime before February."

"So, are you datin' Dally or what?"

"For now."

Sylvia could tell Evie found her trashy. She could sense it in Evie's tone, the way she was looking at her, and the words she was actually saying. It was frustrating.

"How long you been datin' Steve?"

Evie shrugged. "God, a long time. He's been my best friend since I was six. We dated probably when we was eleven. I'm pretty sure he's the only boy I ever kissed."

The blond nodded. "That's the same as me an' Tim. Well…" She smiled at Evie. "Except for the kissin' part."

This wasn't working at all. There was no way in hell Sylvia could get along with this bitchy snob.

"So, you're goin' with Dallas even after the date we had?" Evie asked, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She offered Sylvia one, and the blond accepted.

"A little liquor don't scare me," she replied, smiling, and she lit her cigarette. She wasn't fond of smoking – it was more of a social thing. "After bein' Tim's girlfriend for such a long time, little ole Dallas Winston ain't too dangerous."

"Huh."

They were quiet again. Sylvia was about to stand up and leave until Evie murmured,

"I wish Steve was a little more exciting."

Sylvia gazed at her, surprised. "Really?"

"Kind of. I feel a little bad for sayin' it, but he's still in school, he ain't all rough or dangerous. He ain't never been to jail or nothing."

The blond smiled. "He don't live downtown, does he?"

"Nah. There's a big different between his gang and Tim's gang. I guess you livin' downtown is normal for you, but for us it's such a different lifestyle."

"So Dallas normally stays around your area?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't know why he's so different from Steve."

Sylvia smirked. "Don't you know he's from New York?"

"Oh," Evie said, laughing lightly. "I forgot 'bout that. Yeah, I guess that place is a little worse then downtown Tulsa."

"Just a little," she repeated. "All the girls that live near me are complete bitches."

"Really?"

"Have you ever heard about...Brenda Wilson? She dated Dennis McCarthy a few months ago. She slept with four fucking boys while goin' with him."

Evie shook her head. "What a tramp."

"Yeah. And Dennis's sister is a wild one, too. From what I've heard anyway."

They both laughed lightly as Sylvia smiled. She was starting to like Evie Harris, whether that was because she seemed tough enough to take shit, or because she seemed to agree with everything Sylvia was saying.

--

Sylvia bit her lip as hard as she could, and then she winced. Why was it that girls were destined to take forever to get ready?

She was going out with Dallas, Evie, and Steve again. Dallas had decided to give it another try after she told him Evie wasn't all that bad. This time, she didn't seem to mind it. She was actually kind of excited.

A soft knock came on her door, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah?"

Judy slowly entered the room and smiled. "Hey."

"Do you need something?"

"Am I allowed to just talk to you?"

Sylvia didn't reply. It seemed like Judy was getting moodier and moodier as time went by. So, she calmly said, "I guess so."

"I was just talking to Ma. Me an' James were."

"Really?"

"Dad's movin' out."

The blond froze. Bill was moving out? Why? When? Did Beth say something to him about his drinking? Did she finally get the guts to say something to him? Was she more independent than Sylvia thought she was?

"How do you know?"

Judy shrugged. "I _just_ said Ma told me."

"When's he movin'?"

"He's stayin' at one of his buddy's place until he can find his own. Ma just told him to get out."

"She seriously said that?"

Judy nodded, staring out the window. Sylvia knew this was probably hurting her sister, but she couldn't help but feel happy for her mother.

"This is all for the best, Jude," she said, running a comb through her hair.

"I don't know."

She didn't say anything more, and Sylvia decided the conversation was over. She gazed at her sister in admiration.

At least Judy wasn't crying.

--

"I got an admirer."

"Really now?"

Evie smiled. "His name is Dennis, and he told me he'd like to see me sometime. Don't mention it to Dally, 'cause if Steve finds out he'll kill me."

"What'd you say to him?"

"I told him I'm in a relationship. Jesus, after five years of dating, you'd think some people would know I ain't single."

Sylvia smirked as they continued to walk down the sidewalk. Evie wasn't familiar with the downtown routs, and she was constantly asking Sylvia if they should be walking about at eight o'clock. Greasers like her must have thought it was dangerous or something.

Suddenly, someone familiar came into Sylvia's view. It was a redhead, and she was hanging off a boy that seemed familiar too.

She knew it must have been none other than Jill Howard.

"See the couple up ahead?" Sylvia murmured to Evie.

Her eyes snapped up. "Huh? Where?"

"Straight ahead of us."

"Oh. You know 'em?"

"The girl's probably the biggest bitch I've ever met."

Evie smiled as Sylvia rolled her eyes. Jill was actually walking towards them, a grin on her face, and Sylvia prepared for the worst. You never knew with someone crazy like Jill, stirring anything up just to piss people off.

"Hi, Syl," Jill greeted in a bored tone.

"Hi."

Jill put her hand on the boy's chest. "You remember Frankie, right? Frankie, this is Tim Shepard's girlfriend." She looked at Sylvia. "Or are you Dallas Winston's now?"

Sylvia laughed humourlessly. "Oh, Jill, you've always been quite the goddamn hypocrite. So this is the guy you dated just to get back at Don for cheatin' on you?"

Jill was silent as Sylvia continued. "It's the damnest thing, really, because I just saw Don Applegate the other day. He was with Lois Cunningham. They're such a great couple now, ain't they?"

"Not nearly as great as you an' Dallas."

"Yeah, I guess not."

The redhead shook her head. "Who knew a goddamn tramp and a homeless pansy could go together so well."

Sylvia couldn't see for a few seconds. "Excuse me?"

Jill smiled. "I _said_, who knew a tramp and a—"

Sylvia stepped forward, but before she could get to Jill, Evie held her back. Sylvia squirmed and tried everything she could to escape from Evie's grip.

"Let it go," Evie whispered to Sylvia.

"Let _me_ go!"

Jill looked at Frankie. "C'mon, babe, let's just get outta here."

They started their way back where they came from, and Sylvia went wild. Evie's arms were too strong, despite how much Sylvia was twisting her body and pulling away from Evie.

"I'm gonna rip your fucking hair out, _you little bitch_!"

Jill turned around to look at Sylvia once more. She smiled a wicked smile, then walked into an alley and was out of sight.

Evie let Sylvia go, and the blond spat on the ground.

"I'm gonna get that bitch, Evie," Sylvia said, staring at the alley Jill had gone into. "If it's the last fucking thing I do, I'll pull her hair out and slap that shit-eating look off her fucking face. I swear it."

"I don't doubt it," Evie laughed, and Sylvia mentally planned how to get even with Jill.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Outsiders, nor the song "Wish You Were Here" preformed by Pink Floyd.

A/N: Loooong chapter ... good thing or a bad thing?

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

--_How I wish, how I wish you were here_…--

"Bill's really movin' out?"

Beth sighed. "Sylvia, please be a little more sensitive about this situation. Judy's really upset about it, and James just won't even talk to me."

"Well, how did you tell him to leave?" Sylvia asked, trying to make her voice sound more concerned.

"He came home one night and started up with me about how Judy's allowed to stay up too late. It was a little after eleven, so I understand why he was frustrated. Bill wanted her to have a decent curfew. I just..." She shrugged. "I told him he should have stopped being a hypocrite about it."

Sylvia passed Beth a glass of water and sat on the couch with her.

"We began arguing, and before I knew it I was telling him to get out of my house. So he left, and he's coming home tomorrow to pack his things."

"Y'all are getting divorced?"

Beth shook her head. "Not just yet. Maybe if he stops drinking he can move back it. Judy and James are really taking this hard. You know how Judy is, Sylvia. She just makes you feel so bad about whatever's happening."

"I'm happy about this."

"What?"

Sylvia shrugged. "Not like that, Mom. I'm just happy that you're not letting him push you around. I'm glad that you're standin' up for yourself."

Her mother smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart."

They were silent for a few minutes until Beth said quietly, "I'm sorry about putting you through this, Sylvia."

"Don't worry about it."

Beth smiled. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Dallas is pickin' me up."

"Where are you two going?"

Sylvia shrugged. "Wherever he wants, I guess."

Beth sat up straight. "When am I going to officially meet this boy? It seems to be getting a little serious between you two. It seems like every night he's taking you out."

The blond snorted. "It ain't serious, Mom."

"Sure."

Sylvia saw the familiar T-bird pull into the driveway. She said good-bye to her mother and rushed out the door, feeling excited. She liked being near Dallas. She liked the thought of him sitting beside her all night.

She jumped into the car and kissed him.

A few seconds later, she pulled away, and he smiled.

"I obviously did _somethin'_ right."

She smiled. "I'm jus' happy to see you."

He smirked. "Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

And, within seconds, they were kissing again. Sylvia hoped, somewhere in her mind, that they would park at a lake and do some more kissing there.

--

Sylvia's eyes snapped opened at the sound of a door slamming. She rubbed her eyes and looked around and found Dallas, laying in the bed, still asleep.

She ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of it.

His eyes slowly opened.

"Mornin'," she said with a smile.

He simply moaned and closed his eyes again. It was a little after ten o'clock, so she didn't blame him for being tired.

She couldn't believe he had actually convinced her to stay the night at Buck's with him. She'd been to the bedrooms before with Tim, and she wasn't fond of them.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" she found herself asking.

"Hmm?"

She shrugged. "Where exactly are you right now?"

"In your house, you fucking—"

"I don't mean it like that. I mean, what are you feelin' about me?" She sat up and looked at his pale face, his eyes still closed and a scowl on his face. "I don't just sleep with anyone, you know."

He snorted. "Like Rick Matchet?"

"I never slept with him," she lied.

"That ain't what he's been tellin' everyone. Anyway, what was the shit you was goin' on about?"

She sighed. "How do you feel about…this?"

"You're pretty good in bed, so I feel pretty good about it."

Sylvia held her breath. Having this conversation was a little more complicated than she thought it would be. If Dallas was feeling anything for her, would he even admit to it?

She remembered the first time sleeping with Tim, having so many emotions flowing through her. He wouldn't talk about anything to her, and she wasn't even sure if she was his first or not. She hoped so, anyway.

"Besides the bed part," she said, and he rolled over.

"I'm feelin'..." He shrugged. "Tired."

She hit his shoulder, and he cracked a smile.

"I'm serious!" she said. "How are you gonna feel when..." Her voice became stuck in her throat. "How would you feel if I broke this off with you right now?"

"Right now?"

"This minute."

He shrugged. "Break what off?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like, if I told you I didn't want to go on dates with you no more."

"I wouldn't care."

"Really?" she replied, not feeling convinced.

"Yeah."

She smirked. She thought maybe she would hold this conversation against him one day. She wondered if he really wouldn't care, really wouldn't bat an eye if she told him she didn't love him.

Then, she remembered he was Dallas Winston.

Her mind flipped back. Dallas Winston? So what! She didn't see him as Dallas Winston, the tough greaser of Tulsa. She was him as Dallas, the handsome blond laying in the bed beside her.

Just like how she saw Tim.

She sighed and laid herself back down, forcing herself to think of something else.

--

Dallas drove her home around noon, and, to her surprise, walked her to the door. She saw Beth's car in the driveway and knew Judy and James were probably home too.

Before she opened the door, he kissed her, causing her to smile.

"Bye," she said, tugging his arm.

"See ya around."

She kept her grip on his arm, hoping that he could stay or take her out somewhere. However, he simply shrugged her off and entered the T-bird.

He drove off quickly, and she was left to ponder. She decided to walk the downtown streets and find somewhere to get breakfast.

She began her way down the street. Suddenly, at Linda's house, she found Linda and David Glover sitting on her front yard.

"Sylvia?" Linda called, standing up.

Sylvia had to use every ounce of energy in her to not roll her eyes. "Hi, Linda."

Linda grabbed David's hand and helped him up. They made their way over to the blond, and Sylvia wondered what the hell Linda was doing. What would her most trusty leader Jill think of this?

"David, you know Tim Shepard's girlfriend, huh?" Linda asked.

David smiled. "Hey, Sylvia."

"Hi, Dave," Sylvia said awkwardly.

"How's it going?" Linda asked Sylvia. "I know you're probably wondering about Jill and all – we ain't friends anymore. She got way too hung up on Frankie to pay attention to me."

Sylvia smirked. "She's quite the bitch, huh?"

The brunette nodded. "So, any news on Tim?"

Sylvia looked at David. "Curly told me a few weeks ago he's doin' all right. You ain't heard anything, have you, Dave?"

"He's doin' fine. He thinks he'll be out by January."

"Probably sooner than that," Sylvia said.

Dave nodded.

Linda smiled. "The four of us should go out sometime." She sighed, gazing up at David. "I guess it could be just like old times."

"So y'all are back together?"

Linda slipped an arm around David's arm. "I guess so."

They seemed so happy, smiling at her and cuddling close to each other. Sylvia wondered what the feeling was like, reuniting with an old love. Linda and Dave had dated a year before, and Sylvia found herself attaching to them as a couple.

Now, back together, she wasn't sure about how she felt.

"I can't wait to see Tim again," Sylvia said, just to keep the conversation going. "I miss him so much."

"Let us know when y'all can go out with us," Linda said.

She smiled. "I gotta get going."

She started her way back down the street, her mind on Tim. He would be coming out of the cooler within a few months. What would he say to her about Rick Matchet? Would he be angry with her? Would he find out about…

Then Dallas entered her mind. What would Tim say about her and Dallas Winston?

--

Beth and Sylvia had never talked fully about Sylvia dropping out, but it seemed as though Beth was now fine with it. School was starting again, and James and Judy began leaving the house everyday along with Beth.

Sylvia enjoyed having the house to herself. Most of the time, without Beth's consent, Dallas was over.

The first time he came inside, he looked around and nodded with approval.

"Nice place."

She shrugged. "It's all right."

He dropped himself on the couch and looked at her. "You don't got anything to eat, do you?"

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Fuck, I'm hungry."

"Poor Dallas," she teased with a pout. "Poor, poor Dallas."

He smirked at her and kicked off his shoes. "Man, I could sleep on this thing for the rest of my life." He stretched and dragged his legs onto the couch.

This continued daily for a while, and Sylvia began to enjoy his company.

In mid-September, Sylvia decided to surprise him with a steak meal.

He entered the house, kicking off his shoes as a habit, and snapped his head to face her. "You eating somethin' in here? Is that steak?"

She smiled. "It'll be ready in a minute."

His face dropped. "I ain't had fucking steak since…"

"Sit down," she ordered, wondering if she had even cooked it right. "My mom would freak out if she knew I'm taking up two of her steaks."

She poured rice onto a plate and dropped the steak beside the rice. She passed it to Dallas, who was wearing the same smile a child would wear if they had received their favourite toy.

"Sylvia, will you marry me?" he asked, grabbing a fork and digging in.

She laughed. "I thought you'd like it."

She made up her own plate and began eating. Dallas was more than thankful to eat the remainders on her plate that she couldn't finish.

"Baby, can you ever fucking cook."

Sylvia smiled.

A few minutes later, James and Judy came into the door, arguing about something Sylvia couldn't hear.

"Who's that?" Dallas asked.

"Dallas, that's my sister Judy and my brother James."

Her siblings looked at Dallas for several minutes until James raced over to talk to him.

"Who're you?" James asked, his eyes wide in awe.

Dallas looked at Sylvia with an annoyed look. Sylvia figured he was an only child because he never talked about having any siblings.

"I got an older brother," Dallas said, digging back into his steak.

"Oh yeah?"

He shook his head. "Well, not really. He's my cousin, but we grew up together. Lives in New York, though. I ain't seen him in a long time. Was a fucking asshole, I'll tell you. He would always make fun of me, telling me I'd never be cool enough to hang with his buddies, lockin' me in closets."

"Sounds like what you used to do to me, Syl," Judy said, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Dallas laughed and examined James. James sat down on a chair beside Sylvia, staring at Dallas with awe. "Has _he_ been to jail before?"

"Sure have," Dallas said.

"Maybe a few times," Sylvia added. She couldn't for the life of her picture Dallas in a cell.

"Christ, Sylvia, in New York I went in when I was ten."

James's eyes grew wide. "Really? Are you gonna stay for supper?"

"If Sylvia's cookin', I might."

"You'll have to met my mother."

Dallas smirked. "Then fuck no."

"Why?" Sylvia said in a whiny voice. "You'll probably have to meet her sooner or later if you wanna keep comin' over."

He shrugged. "I don't meet parents."

"It'd just be my mom," Sylvia pressed on, and she heard James made a whimper in his throat.

"Is she hot?"

Sylvia hit him as hard as she could. "Shut up. You know, Tim met my mom before. Actually, she really liked him. He came over for supper all the time. James worshiped the ground he walked on."

He sneered at her. "I don't give a fuck about Shepard's fan club."

"That's what makes him a real man," she continued. "He ain't afraid of nothing, much less meetin' someone's mother."

"I ain't meetin' your ma," Dallas finally snapped.

"Have you ever met any other of your girlfriends' mothers?"

He didn't reply, and Judy's smiled.

"Sylvia, how do you know he's ever had a girlfriend?"

Dallas looked at her. "You're a sharp little girl," he half-snapped. "No, I ain't had a girlfriend before, an' I don't plan on it. Gettin' tied down with some broad's a lot more confusin' than you'd think." He looked at James. " 'Member that."

He stood up, his plate completely cleaned. "All right, see you later, Sylvia."

And he left without kissing her good-bye. She glared at the front door and looked at Judy. "Thanks, Jude."

"I don't like him," James said. "He's kinda weird."

"_You're_ kinda weird," Sylvia replied. "He ain't my boyfriend, so don't worry 'bout it."

"I don't like him either," Judy added. "I don't know why you ain't with Tim no more. At least he was a little handsome. Looks like Dallas could use a haircut."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "Tim's in jail right now anyway."

"So are you still datin' him?" James asked.

Sylvia didn't answer. Instead, she gazed at the plate in front of her, her appetite suddenly gone. James really admired Tim, and she didn't know what was going to happen. It seemed like a lifetime since she'd seen Tim. It felt like she wasn't going to see him again.

She had been thinking about him often, and she wished she'd stop.

--

It was late when Sylvia came home, closing the door slowly behind her. She didn't want to wake up Beth. She had to work early in the morning anyway.

Suddenly, Sylvia found her mother sitting on the couch, a tissue in her hand.

She must have been crying.

"Mom?" Sylvia sheepishly asked.

Beth looked at her. "Hi, sweetheart. How was your night?"

"What's wrong?"

Beth smiled. "Don't you worry about me."

"Well?" Sylvia walked over to her. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

She took a seat beside Beth, wondering what could possibly have her mother so upset. It took her a few seconds to answer.

"I guess I miss having Bill around. I miss having him help me with the chores, having him sleep in my bed…" She sighed. "I'm just lonely, Sylvia."

She was good as lying.

"Wanna tell me what's really wrong?"

Beth shook her head. "I don't know, Sylvia. I don't want you to tell this to James or Judy. They would probably become upset about it."

"About what?"

"Did you hear about Judy's new boyfriend?" Beth asked with a smile. "She told me I could meet him this week."

"Mom, I won't tell James or Judy. What's wrong?"

"And James seems to like him. But you know James – he's hard to not get along with."

Sylvia was becoming bothered. "Do you want me to guess or something?"

Beth sighed. "I'm not sure about this yet, Sylvia, so don't think it's absolutely positive right now."

Her mother silently sobbed as she said, "Sylvia…there's a possibility…"

"What?"

"There's a good chance I might be pregnant," she explained, and Sylvia felt close to passing out.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Disclaimer: **The Outsiders characters belong to S.E. Hinton, and the song "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty is also out of my possession.

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

_--I'm tired of screwin' up, tired of goin' down,_

_Tired of myself, tired of this town … --_

"Happy birthday to you…"

James's face was wearing the biggest smile Sylvia had ever seen.

"Happy birthday to you…"

He was sitting in a chair, gazing at the huge cake Beth had set in front of him. Five candles were lit and placed into the chocolate cake. Sylvia knew Beth had meant to get twelve, but James didn't mind.

"Happy birthday dear James," Beth, Judy, and Sylvia sang, sitting at the table. "Happy birthday to you."

James blew out the candles, and three clapped.

"What'd you wish for?" Sylvia asked.

"Probably a pretty girl," Judy said, and Sylvia didn't miss the shade of red that appeared on James's face.

Beth shook her head with a smile and cut the cake, passing pieces around. Sylvia watched James intentively, wondering what he was thinking. Throughout the day he was quiet, and she thought he would have been more excited. On her twelfth birthday, she was jumping up and down for a whole twenty-four hours.

"Thanks, Ma," James said, giving her a grin.

Everyone dug into the cake in silence. Sylvia wondered what was wrong with James. He wasn't his usual self.

After a few minutes, Judy finished and rushed out the door, Beth started cleaning up the kitchen, and James dropped himself onto the couch. Sylvia thought this was a good time to talk to him.

She slowly made her way to the couch. She sat beside him and smiled.

"What's goin' on, James?"

"I wish y'all would stop calling me that," he whined.

"Huh? What're we supposed to call you?"

"My friends call me Jim."

She shrugged. "I know too many Jim's."

They sat in silence and Sylvia gazed at him with concern. She thought maybe he would have been happy to turn twelve, but he seemed so out of place. She wondered what he could possibly have been upset about.

"You seem weird today."

He didn't answer her. He was too busy watching the television, his eyes avoiding her.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

He looked at her. "Why do you care?"

" 'Cause I'm your sister."

"You didn't even pay attention to me or Judy all summer," he snapped, and Sylvia was surprised. She had never heard him sound so angry. "You were too busy with what's-his-face. What even happened to Tim?"

"Tim's in jail," she shot back, returning his tone of voice. "And I spent lots of times here with you an' Judy."

"Right," he said sarcastically.

"Shut your mouth, James! I came over here to try an' help you, so don't give me your smart mouth."

He stood up and walked up the stairs. Sylvia watched him with her head spinning. What had just happened? Since when had annoying, bratty James become snapping, angry _Jim_?

"Pay him no mind, honey," Beth said from the kitchen. "He's just upset because his father isn't here."

She smirked. "Why ain't Bill here?"

Beth shrugged. "I tried to call him. He didn't get back to me, so I guess there's something more important than his son's birthday."

Sylvia tried to think if Jon had ever missed her birthdays.

"You seem happy about that," she said sarcastically.

Her mother didn't reply. Sylvia wondered if there was a time when Judy became such an obnoxious kid, and she couldn't remember. Was she really ignoring James and Judy that much?

--

Sylvia was watching her television set, wondering what Dallas was doing, when the door opened. She thought it would be him, but Beth came in carrying a handful of groceries.

"Can you give me a hand, sweetheart?"

Sylvia walked over to her. She was nervous that Dallas would walk into the house any second, as he had been doing the whole week.

"What're you doing home so early?" she asked, knowing it was before noon.

Beth sighed. "I had a doctor's appointment."

"Why?"

She was silent for a few minutes as Beth set her bag onto the table. Then she opened the icebox and grabbed a jug of water. "I had to take a few tests," was all she said. She got herself a cup and looked at Sylvia. "Now I'm sure I'm pregnant."

"Great," she replied bitterly.

Beth walked over to the phone. "I'm going to leave try and call Bill so—"

Sylvia ran to her. "Don't, Mom! If you tell him, y'all will probably get back together, an' he'll be drinkin' again…"

"He has the right to know he's going to be a father again."

The blond sighed. "Mom, _please_, just wait," she begged.

At that moment, the door opened, and in came Dallas Winston. Sylvia dropped her head. At least he came around the time he said he would – she just wished Beth wasn't there.

"Can I help you with something?" Beth snapped.

"Mom, he's a friend," Sylvia explained. "It's Dallas – Dallas, this is my mom."

Dallas's face dropped. He had always told her there would be no way in hell he would meet her mother or stepfather. But there he was, face-to-face with Beth.

Her mother didn't seem impressed. "Well, Dallas, do you normally barge into friends' houses?"

"Mom!" She walked over to Dallas. "Don't worry about her. Come in, an' I'll get you somethin' to eat."

"Sylvia," Beth said, "did you ever think about asking _me_ if he could come over?"

"I am eighteen. I can have my friends over whenever I want."

Dallas flicked a piece of hair off his forehead. "Want me to leave?"

"No," Sylvia said. "C'mon, let's go outside."

"I want you to stay here," Beth called.

Sylvia glared at her mother. "Mom, what is wrong with you? I don't care if you're pregnant, you can't stop me from seeing my friends. You don't stop Judy or James from–"

"I just want to talk to you alone."

Dallas held his hands up in defence. "Guess this is a bad time."

And he walked out the door. Sylvia turned to Beth, feeling a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Why'd you have to do that?"

"I don't want strangers in this house, Sylvia," Beth explained sternly. She picked up the phone. "I thought you had a boyfriend. Tim, right? What happened to him?"

"He's in jail," the blond replied. "He got put in for a year. Do you want me dating someone like that?"

"Tim?" Beth frowned. "He was such a nice boy."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. It seemed like everyone was more into Tim than Dallas, and she had no idea why. Maybe it was because everyone was used to seeing her as being Tim's girlfriend.

"It seems like everyone is dating new boys," Beth continued. "I met Judy's boyfriend yesterday. He's quite a sweet boy, Sylvia. I trust him with her."

"She ain't datin' anyone till I meet him," Sylvia said.

"I'm calling Bill, so can I please have some privacy?"

Sylvia grabbed the phone. "Mom, if you tell him, you'll have to tell the whole world. Why not just keep it a secret from everyone? Just for a little while."

Beth shook her head. "Sylvia, I'm not much of a liar."

"It ain't lying. It's just…"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, all right. I'll call him next week, then."

Sylvia smiled. It had been a while since she had her mother all to herself.

--

"I can't do nothing tonight – I got too much homework."

Sylvia frowned. "Homework's more important than bein' with your best friend?"

She heard Evie laugh. "Look, on Friday we can hang out, okay?"

She sat on the chair, pulling her blond curls one by one. "Dallas told me he'd take me out then. God, I'm so fucking bored." She pulled her legs over the armrest and played with the phone cord. "You should just drop outta school."

"Nah," Evie said. "I gotta stay in school. Then I gotta go to college or somethin'."

"Really? What're you gonna be?"

"A nurse."

Sylvia almost laughed out loud. "You, Evie Morris? A nurse?"

"It ain't so bad. My ma's a nurse, and my grandma was, too. The pay checks come rollin' in, and shit, Sylvia, they're worth a lot."

"Yeah?"

"I mean, it's my ma, me, and my brothers livin' here. She makes enough money to feed all of us, and I got four fucking brothers."

Sylvia snorted. "I thought you was the youngest."

"Well, I am."

"You're sixteen, and all four of your brothers live with you?"

Evie laughed. "Three of 'em live here. They're pretty lazy, but I don't mind it. My ma don't either."

"You're really gonna be a nurse?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda excited for it, actually."

Sylvia smirked. She never really regretted dropping out of school. She had always kind of liked it, being alone during the day and doing whatever the hell she wanted to. But Evie seemed so thrilled to become a nurse.

"An' when I'm older, I won't have to rely on no husband. I'll be my own woman."

Then the blond bit her lip. Having an educational job really would declare someone's independence.

Then she _really_ regretted dropping out.

--

Sylvia shook her hair and smiled in the mirror. He makeup was done perfectly, but her outfit didn't match. That was okay, because she wanted Dallas to think she wasn't _too_ hung up on him.

In reality, she couldn't _wait_ to see him.

She walked down the stairs and felt her heart stopped when the door opened. But in came James, holding his nose.

Then she saw his black eye, his huge nose, his bloody lip...

"James, what the fuck happened to you?"

He looked at her and sat on the couch wordlessly.

Sylvia rushed sink and got a wet cloth. She passed it to him and he threw it on his lips, wincing every time the cloth touched his nose. Sylvia watched him intentively. She wondered what to do. He looked pretty beat up, and she wasn't sure if she should take him to the hospital or something.

"James, what happened?"

He just shrugged as she picked up the phone. She dialled Evie's number slowly.

"Evie? You know nurse shit, huh?"

"Yeah, why?"

"James is a little hurt, an' I'm jus' wonderin' what to do."

"Where's he hurt?"

Sylvia studied him. "His eye's purple, his nose is fucking huge, his lips are bloody, and he isn't reacting to anything I'm saying."

Evie didn't reply for a few seconds.

"My mom told me to tell you to bring him over to our place so she can look at him."

Sylvia nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Evie."

She hung up. "James, do you want to go to a nurse?"

He just looked at her. "Sylvia?" He groaned. "My head really hurts."

Sylvia grabbed Beth's car keys and wrote a note. She didn't have her license, but it was an emergency. Besides, she would be lying if she said she never drove before.

She helped James out the door, and when they were on the driveway he groaned again.

"Sylvia, there were tons of them."

"What?"

He looked at her. "I think I just got jumped."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Disclaimer: **Hinton owns _the Outsiders_ and the lyrics for "Light My Fire" preformed by the Doors.

A/N: I apologize for the late update. My computer crashed and made me lose all of my written chapters, but I'm hoping I have this story on the right track now. Anyway, hope you enjoy chapter sixteen! : )

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

--_The time to hesitate is through, no time to wallow in the mire__..._-_-_

Sylvia rolled her head to the side. Beth was tapping her fingers on her lap, biting her lip nervously. After a while, Sylvia grabbed her mother's hands and pulled them down.

"Mom, relax," she said. "He'll be fine."

Beth smiled, but the blond knew she wasn't convinced. She couldn't blame her mother, though -- waiting rooms in hospitals never made anyone feel welcome.

When Sylvia had taken James to Evie's, Evie's mother told Sylvia to go straight to the hospital. It was clear that he needed stitches on his lip and that his nose was severly broken.

She wanted a cigarette.

Hell, she _needed _one.

Beth let out a long sigh. "Sylvia ... I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I should have been there," her mother whispered. "I shouldn't have put you in that position."

Sylvia shook her head. "Mom, you ain't gotta be sorry for anything. At least I was there. Don't think Judy coulda known what to do, right?"

Beth took the blond's hand. "I know. But I'm sorry."

After a few moments of silence, a doctor came into the room and looked on his notepad.

"Mrs. Thompson?" he asked, looking around the room.

Beth stood up. "Yes?"

"Your son, James Thompson? He's perfectly fine. He just has a swollen eye, six stitches, and a broken nose. You'll have to bring him back in two weeks so we can remove the stitches. Afterwards he can have a natural recovery."

At that moment, James walked in. Beth cried out in joy, hugging her son.

Sylvia pulled on one of her blond curls, smiling. She remember what had happened to Craig Summers and was thankful James wasn't as harmed.

Then her mind began to wander.

Craig was jumped because he was the youngest member of the Shepards' gang. Why the hell would someone want to jump James?

--

"I can't believe you convinced me to come here."

"Mm."

"I fucking hate this place, you know. All smokey and shit. Can't see a damn thing."

"Can I get another beer over here?"

Sylvia drousily looked up at Dallas. She smiled and put her hand on his knee. "Are you havin' a good time?"

He shrugged and didn't reply.

She immediately felt her chest drop in disappointment. Here she was, expecting to give him the birthday of his life, and he wasn't having fun at all. Why was that? Did he not like her as much as she thought? Was he wishing he was with someone else?

"I'm gonna ... go to the girls' room," she announced, standing up.

It didn't take long for her to hit the ground.

Dallas smirked and helped her up. "Fuckin' wasted, huh?"

She couldn't help but laugh. Maybe that was why he wasn't having a good time.

Because she was drunk as hell.

"I ain't all that wasted," she protested, sitting back onto her seat. "I only had a few beers and a few shots. What the fuck time is it, anyway?"

He shrugged. " 'Lil after eleven, I think."

"Did I say happy birthday to you yet?"

"Nah. Don't think so."

She smiled. "Boy howdy, we should get outta here. Go to a movie or somethin'. Buck's ain't really my scene."

"Then how come you're here all the fucking time?"

She couldn't answer. All she could do was laugh.

Silence drifted in the air as she thought of something to say. Dallas was acting strange all night. He seemed to be getting annoyed too quickly over the dumbest things.

Sylvia sighed. "What? What's your problem?"

"Huh?"

"Why ain't you talkin'?" she snapped. "All's I'm tryin' to do is give you a good birthday, but it seems like I ain't doin' that. Are you wishin' you was with someone else or something?"

"Babe, you got awful English when you're soused," was all he said.

She pouted. Then an idea occured to her.

She placed her hand on his knee and slowly travelled it up his thigh, feeling herself smirk when she felt his jeans tighten. She leaned closer to him and bit his earlobe. She felt him tense and began undoing his jeans.

He let out a low moan.

"Let's go upstairs," she whispered in his ear.

Dallas opened his eyes. "Really?"

"C'mon ... " She smiled. "It's your birthday."

He stood up quickly and took her hand, heading towards the stairs.

Before she knew it, they were in a bedroom, kissing roughly. She found it difficult to breath and had to grab the wall to steady herself. Then they made their way to the bed. Sylvia could feel her heart pound with excitement.

When he was on top of her, she threw off his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head. He ripped off the buttons of her blouse and ran his hand up her skirt.

She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him again.

She remembered Tim telling her once that when she was drinking she was rougher in bed.

Then the thought of Tim made her stomach sick. She pulled away from Dallas's kiss and took in a deep breath. He was in the process of attempting to undo her bra when he realized she was deep in thought.

"What?" he gasped.

She looked up into his eyes and ran her fingers through his hair. "I just decided something."

"Huh."

"When Tim gets outta jail," she started, kissing him again.

"What about him?" Dallas asked between kisses, an angry tone in his voice.

"I ain't gonna go back to him."

He pulled away and looked at her. "Really?"

"I wanna stay with you."

Her chest felt heavy. She couldn't decide if he was happy or annoyed since the lights were off. Then he kissed her again, continuing what they had started.

She smiled.

But the next morning, she couldn't help but wonder if it was the right decision or not.

--

"James, please get your feet off the coffee table."

James smirked. "Sorry, Ma."

Beth brought the turkey out of oven and sighed with relief. "Sylvia, Judy, can you help me in the kitchen please? And James, can you go check the mail?"

Sylvia stood up and followed her younger sister into the kitchen.

"Ma, you really didn't have to work so hard," Judy said.

Beth smiled. "Well, dear, it's Thanksgiving."

"Last year we didn't do much," Sylvia pointed out.

"Well, this year was a hard year for all of us, girls." Their mother passed Judy plates. "Set the table please, honey? Anyway, I just wanted the family to get together and have a nice, relaxing dinner."

Beth passed Sylvia the potatos. Sylvia let out a sigh and wandered to the table.

James re-entered the house and dropped the mail on the coffee table. "Hey, Jude, you got somethin' from Grandma. How come me an' Sylvia didn't get nothing?"

"It's probably for my birthday," Judy explained.

"Which ain't for another three weeks," James pointed out.

"Don't be mad at your grandmother, James," Beth said tiredly. "She probably confused Judy's birthday with Jon's."

As soon as the words were said, the house went silent. All eyes were on Sylvia.

The blond stared at the floor. She hadn't thought about Jon in a while, and his upcoming birthday had completely slipped her mind.

"All right, kids," Beth instructed, "come sit down."

Sylvia sat herself at the end of the table where Bill used to sit and folded her hands over her lap. Her mother liked to say grace before her Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, which the blond found strange. She didn't seem fond of grace during any other occasion.

Beth tied her dark hair up before sitting on the other end.

"Smells good, Ma," Sylvia said, and James and Judy followed with their own polite comments.

Their mother smiled. "Okay, fold your hands. Dear Lord, thank you for this -- "

At that moment, the door swung open. A furious Bill walked in, obviously drunk and stressed. He looked at Beth angrily and shouted,

"You're fucking pregnant?!"

James and Judy snapped their heads to face Beth.

"What?!" James cried.

"Mom, when did you plan on telling us that?!"

"Jesus, Beth, you didn't even tell the kids?!"

Sylvia placed her hands over her face as her siblings stood up. Beth by now had begun to cry, claiming she never had the right time to tell James or Judy.

"Did you know?" Bill asked Sylvia.

Sylvia laughed. "Don't talk to me."

"You told her, but not the other kids?" Bill demanded. "Beth, how long's this been goin' on?"

Her mother sighed. "About two months."

"Two _months_?" Judy cried. "Ma, when were you gonna tell me?"

"Bill, I sent you that letter two weeks ago," Beth said in her defense. "And I had tried calling you. You just weren't home until today, I assume."

Bill clenched his teeth. "You could have stopped by work or -- "

James apparently had had enough and stormed off to his bedroom. Beth stared at the hallway, and Sylvia knew she was pondering going after him.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Sylvia threw her napkin onto her plate and stood up.

"Bill, go pour yourself another drink," she snapped, making her way to the stairs.

She softly knocked on James's door. He didn't reply, so she invited herself to walk in.

"Hi," she said.

She found him standing by his window, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

She groaned. "James, don't smoke."

"Why?" he snapped. "You ain't my mother."

"Want me to get Mom or something?"

He scowled at her.

"James, what's wrong?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just pissed. Dad just came in here, didn't say a fucking word to me, and just yelled at everyone. Fuck, I just ... I just wanna go down there and knock him the fuck out."

"Don't swear."

"Fuck you," he spat. "I'm trying to talk to you, and all's you're doing is lecturing me. Sylvia, this is why I don't tell you shit. You just don't understand."

"What don't I understand? If you wanna go down there and punch him, do it. He's an asshole."

James shook his head. "Nah. I can't."

"Why?"

"You don't get it."

She sighed. "What don't I get?"

"Your dad wasn't no fuck-up. He was a fucking hero and the whole town loved him. Hell, there was an article in the paper about him! You hate Bill just as much as I do, but you don't ... "

She sat on his bed. "I don't what?"

"Just forget it," he said, tossing his cigarette out his window.

"Tell me."

"No. Never mind."

She stared at him for a few seconds, but when she realized he was being serious, she stood up and left. Judy was in the hallway when Sylvia left James's bedroom.

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Judy said.

Sylvia watched her sister pass her and felt herself frown. She never felt the connection James and Judy had. Sometimes she didn't care, but sometimes it made her hurt.

She had a pain in her chest she couldn't get rid of.

She slowly walked downstairs and went into the laundry room to pick up the phone. The first number that occured to her was Tim Shepard's. He would know what to say to her. He would comfort her.

But he wasn't there.

Tears sprung up from her eyes as she slammed the phone down.

She missed him more now than she ever had before.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the novel nor the song "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes.

A/N: Ohhhh Jesus, sorry about the long update! My school year has just ended, so expect some decent updates for a while.

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

_--And the message coming from my eyes says leave it alone...--_

When Sylvia was face to face with Tim Shepard for the first time in ten months, she suddenly found herself jumping on him and wrapping her legs around his waist. Tim was the last person she expected to find knocking on her door. She leaned her chin on his shoulder and smiled.

It felt like a dream. It had been so long since she'd seen Tim. Maybe it _was_ a dream.

She kissed his lips as hard as she could.

"I sure as hell missed you," she whispered.

He smiled but didn't reply.

He helped her down and held her hand. As they made their way to his truck, Sylvia could feel her heart racing. She couldn't stop looking at him; he was like an illusion. This couldn't have been real...

"You wanna go to my place?" he asked, opening his truck door for her.

She smiled. "Do I ever."

He made his way to the driver's seat, pulling a cigarette out. She wordlessly snatched his pack and took one, grinning at him.

"You mind?"

He shrugged. "Knock yourself out. Didn't know you smoked."

"Started a few months ago."

He began driving down the street and gripped the steering wheel. As she lit her cigarette, she looked at him, a smile creeping onto her face.

_He was back_.

"You wanna tell me about Matchet?"

Fuck. She almost forgot about that.

"That's over now, Tim," she promised. "I'll never talk to him no more. I swear it."

"What's he been doing?"

She shrugged. "He lied to me, I guess. I didn't know he was from the Kings until we broke up." She noticed his nose twitch, and she studied it. "What the fuck happened to your nose?"

"I broke it."

She blew out smoke. "No shit. Anyway, we only dated for a month. Don't be mad at me."

"I ain't mad at you for _that_."

Something about the tone of his voice made her nervous. She could tell he was acting bitter towards her, and her mind came to an answer.

"You an' Dallas Winston, huh?"

She looked at him. He was staring straight ahead.

"That's over now," she said, placing a hand on his leg. "It was just a thing. _You're_ my boyfriend, Tim, not that fucking pansy."

He smirked. "That's what I thought."

He still seemed upset about it, but he dropped the subject and pulled into his driveway. She followed him up the steps and into the house. Curly was sitting on the couch, nodding at them, and Angela didn't appear to be home.

Tim took her hand and led the way down the hall.

She could tell he was impatient, and in a way, so was she.

--

Sylvia was humming softly, throwing the hamburger back into the icebox. For the first time in what seemed like a year, everything was getting better. Her and Tim were back together, Beth and Bill were still broken up, and...

She shook her head. She shouldn't have been thinking everything was perfect just because Tim was home. Sylvia had only seen him twice in the past week, but somehow she knew being with him wasn't the way it was before. Now she knew he had his own things to do, and now she knew she wouldn't die without him. She had grown a little more independent within the months he was gone.

Suddenly, the front door swung open, and in came Dallas Winston.

"You cookin' in here?" he asked.

She bit her lip and stared at him. He dropped himself onto the couch, looking back at her. "You mind throwing me a burger too?"

"What're you doing here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Sorry I ain't been around. I was—"

Sylvia scratched her neck. "Dallas, did you know Tim's outta jail now?"

He snorted. "Yeah. I went with the fucker to—"

"So why're you here?"

He froze for a second. She remained quiet as he turned his head to look at her. His expression went from mellow to confused. Then to angry.

"Thought you wanted me to come over," he replied quietly.

"Well," she said, crossing her arms, "I thought you'd know that this is over. I mean, I _am_ Tim's girlfriend." A few seconds later, she added, "Not yours."

He kept his gaze on her, shaking his head. "What? What the _fuck_?"

"I'm sorry, Dal, but—"

"You ain't telling me you're jus' goin' back with him, are you?"

"What did you think would happen? Did you think I would just drop him and start goin' with you?"

He stood up. "That's what you made me fucking think, you fucking whore."

She laughed. "Don't call me a whore! Of _course_ I'm still with Tim, you goddamn idiot. Where else would I go?"

"What about me?" he cried. "You think it's all right to lead me on like that? I came here every goddamn day to make you happy. I spent my whole year savin' your ass from Rick Matchet, hooking you up with Evie, and I was _always_ there for you!" He walked over to her. "This is the fucking thanks I'm gettin'?"

"Dally, I appreciate you doin' that," she admitted, "but I'm with Tim, and that's the way it's gonna stay."

He kept staring at her, as if he thought it was a joke. "What a whore," he finally muttered.

She looked at him innocently. "I thought you didn't get attached to no one, Dallas."

"I don't," he spat.

"Dally, I'm sorry, but I love Tim. He loves me, too, so—"

He laughed. "I don't think he'd go running off with Bonnie the Bimbo all the time if he loved you. Jesus, you're such a blasted idiot, thinking—"

"And what? Like _you_ love me?"

"_Fuck_ no," he snapped. "I just think you're a tramp now, going back with Shepard."

She shrugged. "Fine. I don't care."

"Hope y'all have a lot of fun," he said bitterly, opening the door and slamming it behind him. Sylvia bit her lip. She couldn't help but feel just a little bit guilty. Dallas had told her tons of times he never attached himself to anything, but he seemed really hurt.

She sighed. It was over now.

She thought so, anyway.

--

"You been goin' out with this boy a lot lately."

Judy shrugged. "He's a good guy."

Sylvia examined her sister's face. She was surprised Judy let her do her makeup for her. Judy was always saying Sylvia wore too much of it, and always criticized the way she dressed.

"What's this boy like?"

Judy sighed. "He's real cute. He's got sandy coloured hair, with nice brown eyes. If you ever saw him, you'd want to meet his brother."

The blond smirked. "Sorry, Jude. I got a boy."

"Thought Dallas wasn't your boyfriend."

"Well, Tim is."

"Really?" She opened her eyes as Sylvia pampered blush onto her. "Tim's out of the cooler now?"

Sylvia smiled. "He sure is. He got out two weeks ago."

"Huh."

They were silent as Sylvia looked at the options for lipstick. Judy was pretty hung up on this guy. Beth had met him a few weeks before, and she was quite excited for Judy. When Sylvia asked Beth about him, she said, "He's such a sweet boy, Sylvia."

"What's his name, anyway?"

"Scott Daley. How does this sound?" She closed her eyes again. "Judith Mae Daley."

Sylvia snorted. She remembered the days when her and her friends used to talk about their boyfriends in the same manner.

"Sylvia Elizabeth Shepard," she would say proudly.

Well ... it still sounded like a pretty decent name. Better than Sylvia Elizabeth Winston, anyway.

"I feel like I'm gettin' more an' more like you everyday," Judy randomly said. "Tim's a gang leader, right? Pretty dangerous datin' him. Scott's from a downtown gang, too, but he ain't the leader or nothing."

"Huh. What gang's he from?"

The brunette shrugged. "I don't think he ever told me."

Sylvia applied her lipstick, and then it hit her like a truck. "Jude, do you know where he lives?"

She nodded. "Down by the river. His—"

Then Sylvia froze. Boys that lived on the river were from no other gang than the River Kings. She felt her hand shake and couldn't stop it.

"He lives by the river?"

"Uh-huh."

Sylvia shook her head. "No, Judy, no, no..." She helped Judy stand up. "You gotta stop goin' with him. He's with Rick Matchet. Fuck ... "

Judy just laughed. "Sylvia? You all right?"

"Call Scott right now!" she cried, unaware that her voice was raising. "Call him and tell him it's off."

"Why?"

"He's from the River Kings!" she explained. "He's usin' you."

"Usin' me?" Judy frowned. "Why would he be usin' me?"

She shook her head again. "Because Rick Matchet's got a personal grudge against me, so he'll do anything he fucking can to make me miserable."

Judy rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talkin' about. I think you're overreacting."

Suddenly, she got hit by another truck. Her mind started spinning as she rushed out of the room, calling James's name. She found him laying on the couch, a confused look on his face.

She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him up. "James, I want you to tell me something. Think hard."

He shrugged. "What?"

"When those boys jumped you, was there a tall guy with brown hair?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't 'member."

"Think!" she demanded. "Anyone with green eyes?"

"I don't know..."

"Anyone wearing a black leather jacket with a chain on the pocket strap?"

He looked at her. "Yeah."

"Was the word 'Kings' sewn on the front real small?"

James closed his eyes again, then nodded. "Yeah, why?"

She felt her whole body drop. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the floor, her hands covering her face. Fredrick Matchet wasn't attacking her the way she thought he would. He was attacking her _family_. He had one of his boys using Judy, only God knowing what Scott was doing to her, and he jumped James.

Twelve-year-old James...

She didn't know what to do. If she confronted him, he would do something worse. If she told Dallas or Tim, Rick would probably attack _them_.

She was so scared she couldn't think straight.


	18. Author's Note

A/N: To anyone who is still aware of this story's existence:

I have decided to completely re-write this fic as opposed to editing all of the chapters because I'm not terribly pleased with it. After re-reading it I've noticed, not only grammar and spelling errors but some of the story line I would like to change. If interested, I have posted the first chapter, and any suggestions, comments, corrections, etc. are much more than welcome.

Thank you all who have read this story, and I hope to hear from you soon!


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